


The First Red Threads

by FloydOfWar



Series: Red Threads of Remnant [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, OC's Galore - Freeform, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sideplot AU, Smut, Trauma, War, Well trauma eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:08:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 240,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28477413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloydOfWar/pseuds/FloydOfWar
Summary: With Team RWBY chasing Roman Torchwick and the White Fang around Vale, the other students at Beacon have not all been idle and ignorant. Despite their falling grades and a Vytal Tournment to prepare for, Team SKTC can't help but spend their days itching that something is wrong in the city, and something is brewing underneath the surface.All it takes for them to get involved is finding that first strand of red thread for them to become determined to follow it through as far as it will take them, whether it be just through the shadowy underworld of the city of Vale, or across the continent of Remnant itself.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, OC/OC, Velvet Scarlatina/OC
Series: Red Threads of Remnant [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085867
Comments: 16
Kudos: 4





	1. Meeting Team SKTC

**Author's Note:**

> A few noteworthy timeline and world changes and such right off the bat: the Vytal Tournament is at the start of semester in their second year instead of being in the second semester of their first, purely because I felt like having three volumes set in the one twelve-month period was...a bit busy.  
> Other than that, it's a lot of new characters. This has been an incredibly fun January project.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief summary of the members of Team SKTC, feel free to skip this one and just come back as a reference later if needed!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS OPTIONAL: This page is just a reference for the members of team SKTC. Feel free to just skip on ahead to the actual story starting in the next chapter!!

Like many teams at Beacon, Team Sketch was fortunate enough to have been made up of two pre-existing duos that had existed pre-Beacon, with Shina and Chrystal arriving together from training at Pharos Academy, and Kylar and Tacita arriving from Signal Academy. While the duos didn’t know each other at first, they quickly grew into being friends after running into each other in the Emerald Forest during initiation after Tacita ‘saw’ Shina and Chrystal struggling against a Death Stalker, and the four spent the rest of their time in the forest playfully cooperating and fooling around a bit too much, eventually collecting their chess pieces together.

While the duos picked the same pieces out of a sense of amusement, not truly understanding what it meant, they were happily surprised when it meant they were placed together.

Shina, surprised to be the leader, spent most of their first year looking to Kylar who Shina considered more level-headed by far, but he has since grown into his own role in terms of being willing to lead the team, in no small part due to Ozpin’s guidance and motivation.

Once Kylar and Tacita entered a relationship towards the end of their first year, there was tension between the two duos at first due to Chrystal’s concerns that if the pair were to break up messily it would screw around with team cohesion, but she has since grown to trust the two and their integrity.

The team have developed a reputation among the staff for excelling at scouting missions and surveillance, due to a combination of Chrystal’s semblance providing her with agility, and Tacita’s semblance gifting her with her supernatural perception. Backed up by Shina’s combat prowess and Kylar’s support skills, the team have been dispatched with teachers for supervision quite a few times to get field experience in the outer city limits, keeping track of Grimm movements.

Despite being in the same year, the team have had very little to do with teams RWBY and JNPR, being in a separate dorm block and only sharing a couple of classes. One interaction they  _ do  _ share is the rivalry between Shina and Pyrrha Nikos in regards to being the top spot on the combat leaderboard, juggling the spot seemingly week to week when it comes to victory points.

Yet the pair themselves have  _ very  _ rarely been rostered to actually fight each other, due to a match halfway through their first year resulting in considerable damage to the duel arena. A match which Glynda reluctantly had allowed only after they both requested it repeatedly in the first place, and she has since refused further requests despite the two of them wanting to keep trying.

The four members of Team SKTC have developed such a level of team cohesion that Ozpin referred to them as having “Four hearts, yet one pulse.”, and the expectations for the team grow steadily higher and higher, even as they each struggle with whatever demons are sitting inside their own heads.

With three months until the Vytal Festival, their attention has already turned to the tournament, no longer going on as many training missions and instead dedicating their time to combat training.

**Shina Kamisari:**

Shina Kamisari was born in the town of Caelitum, a town towards the coast of Sanus, wedged between lush forest and the coastal mountain terrain. While initially a quiet and focused child, in his teens he developed a fiery exuberance and extroversion which eventually manifested in reckless impulsivity. 

His reckless nature deterred other kids and teenagers from staying close to him for very long, due to the dangerous risks and dares he undertook, so he cycled through groups of friends quickly. With Chrystal Wasara being the only one who stood by him since they were both eleven years old, she helped keep him focused as they grew older with her more laidback nature.

The pair were neighbours at first, all of their lives, until a tragic house fire took Chrystal’s family from her and left her homeless when she was eleven. The Kamisari family, longtime friends of the Wasaras, didn’t even hesitate to bring her into their home, and the pair became siblings in everything but legal documents and last name.

He attended Pharos Academy, which was almost on the opposite side of the coastal forest and at first required leaving home before dawn to get there in time for the first bell, but he eventually built a quadbike to speed up the trip, a bike he later modified to be able to fit Chrystal behind him.

Considered a heartbreaker during his time at Pharos Academy, rivalling the heartbreaker reputation set by Coco Adel in the year above him, before she graduated Coco expressed an interest in seeing him at Beacon Academy and wondering how much he’d have grown by the time they saw each other again. When they  _ did  _ eventually reunite upon Shina arriving at Beacon, they’ve since developed a close and trusting friendship and rapport.

Shina’s homelife was far from perfect, however. While his mother was a loving and cheerful woman, a retired model and talk-show host, his father had suffered incredible trauma during his years as a huntsman, eventually resulting in a back injury that retired him. He gradually grew resentful of Shina for the opportunities the boy was going to have with his natural talent as a fighter, and his charisma. This eventually culminated in an attempt by his father to beat him for yet another reckless decision, but when Chrystal tried to get in the way and was shoved aside and sent sprawling, Shina’s semblance awakened and he went into what he would later refer to as ‘the First Cut’, and he was easily able to overpower and subdue his father. By the time Shina departed Caelitum for Beacon a year later, the two had repaired their bond on a surface level, but there was a distrust there that both knew would never grow back. Shina retains a loving connection with his mother however, and she delights in the photos and videos he regularly sends her of the team’s escapades and adventures.

After his semblance awakened and Shina gradually became more and more aware of how powerful and dangerous it was, both to his enemies and also to his own body, his personality and temperament sobered noticeably as he realised he needed to learn how to exercise restraint and focus.

His Semblance, which he callsTwelve Cuts, allows him to burn off his own aura at varying degrees in exchange for benefits of increasing intensity and usefulness in combat. But the harder he pushes, the less damage his aura can heal and the more damage the strain does to him, especially once he runs out of aura to burn and his body begins to sustain damage and strain from being pushed beyond its normal limits.

The initial 'cut', which awakened instinctually against his father, increases his speed by a noticeable amount that they've failed to accurately calculate, as it seems to depend on his mood and headspace at each time he uses it. When entering the second cut, his coordination and reflexes increase to a point that he describes it as the world seeming to move noticeably slower. The first two cuts compliment each other perfectly, and he has trained relentlessly to master their combined benefits.

The third cut boosts his physical strength enough that his sword swings send off air waves that can do damage at range, and he is more than capable of kicking away cars and tossing Grimm with little issue.

He has never gone beyond the ‘Fourth Cut’, due to the focus and strain it takes to maintain each level, and the damage inflicted on his body. He has only used the Fourth Cut once, during a Grimm ambush on a mission, and wasn’t able to sustain it for more than ten seconds before it burned up his entire aura and he suffered damage. The damage to the joints in his legs immobilised him for a month, but he knows that with further training and focus he will eventually be able to sustain it and eventually go even further. His ambition is to be able to access the Sixth Cut by graduation.

But even without his Semblance he is an incredibly skilled fighter. While he has a natural talent and preference for his sword, Hornet’s Kiss, his father made sure to instruct him in hand-to-hand combat as well due to the injury his father suffered as a result of not being able to defend himself once disarmed.

Shina has little confidence in his self-control and any ability to apply logic to a situation, believing himself to still be reckless to the point of possibly risking his friends, and this initially hampered his ability as a leader greatly. While initially completely deferring to Kylar due to his belief that his own reckless attitude would simply get his friends in danger if they followed his direction, he was eventually brought in to speak with Professor Ozpin who reminded him of how protective and focused he was in his defense and coordination with Chrystal, using that as an argument that Shina is more than capable of guiding people carefully and lovingly if he allows himself to accept that his care for his loved ones  _ is  _ actually stronger than his disregard for his own safety.

Taking this to heart, Shina has since grown as a leader and stepped into the role with an affectionate vigor. While not a particularly talented strategist on paper, he has made sure to grow to understand his teammates as intimately and lovingly as he can, and is so attuned to their personal instincts and talents that his ability to coordinate with them on the fly is immaculate.

More than deserving of his place being almost tied for first place with Pyrrha Nikos in combat rankings, and  _ also  _ more than deserving of being in the  _ bottom  _ ten when it comes to academic scores, the faculty at Beacon still expect great things from him as long as he continues to improve his focus.

**Kylar Goroesi:**

Kylar is the oldest son and heir of the Goroesi legacy, and has inherited a large amount of the family traits, including the family history of developing Semblances that can exploit dust in unique ways. Having grown up on the family estate on the island of Patch, even as he was growing up he was aware he had a privileged childhood, and even now that he’s eighteen it makes him uncomfortable to think about.

While not  _ as  _ wealthy or influential as the Schnee family of Atlas, the Goroesi family are still incredibly wealthy by Vale’s standards, being major stakeholders in a large number of the major companies and corporations that base themselves in the country. The family initially made their wealth in dust mining and refining, generations ago, but when the Schnee Dust Company eventually muscled them out of the industry they turned their eyes to their current ventures.

Next in line for the family obligations, Kylar made an agreement with his father that he wouldn’t take over as CEO until he was thirty, wishing to spend a decade as a Huntsman and serving Vale. As an experienced Huntsman himself, his father Logan willingly agreed to the request.

Kylar is a true inheritor of the Goroesi family, and even by their standards he is considered a prodigy. Years with tutors and personal trainers as a child reinforced his confidence in his own abilities and tendency to thrive in what he applied himself to, and it developed into an unfortunate arrogance that concerned his father, but his mother Tessa quietly hoped that being exposed to the dangers of hunting during training at Signal Academy once he was a teenager would temper and humble him.

It did not.

But despite his arrogance, in many ways it’s purely surface level and not to the core. When there are quiet moments with no challenges to throw himself at to thrive at, he’s always shown a deep driving compassion and a desire to make friends and a compulsion to use his mastery to protect others, having a deep care for his classmates even though he knew most of them disliked him in return due to his nature. This underflowing nature resulted in his unconscious decision to break away from the family tradition of frontline combat styles, and instead focus on a combat style that provides support and utility, with a great application for manipulating the battlefield and destabilising enemies for teammates to then deal with.

This doesn’t make him helpless however, as he has developed a great deal of direct combat applications through his semblance, Royal Alchemy, which he unlocked when exposed to a high quantity of dust for the first time at ten years old.

By taking dust crystals, he is able to absorb the dormant energy within them and store it inside of his aura, and then utilise it in a myriad of different ways. This inspired the name of his weapon, Myriadisca, a quarterstaff with dust stored inside of it that doesn’t just detonate on impact with his strikes, but has slots cut into the metal that allow him to absorb dust at a constant rate to use.

The limits of his semblance and the variations he can employ are still unknown, as he is constantly finding new combinations to use, considering it a true form of chemistry that only he is able to study. It’s a semblance born of his arrogance and ambition, being an incredibly powerful tool, a whole new science, that only  _ he  _ can master and understand.

At the age of fifteen, he was out in the forest practicing with his semblance, wanting privacy so he wouldn’t be bothered (and also because he didn’t want to risk hurting anyone if something went wrong), when the noise and bursts of energy drew the attention of some local Grimm. Finding himself outnumbered, and his dust reserves running low due to the two hours of constant experimenting, he was suddenly assisted by a rain of arrows from the nearby treeline, and between the arrow barrage and his own skill the Grimm were dealt with.

It was then that he formally met Tacita Everweb as the girl jumped down from the trees, having seen him in trouble due to her own semblance while on her walk home from her own training at the Signal Academy firing range.

The pair took to each other instantly, with Tacita’s gentle and almost serene nature having no response to Kylar’s more abrasive attitude, and the two found a perfect rapport within minutes, due to Kylar’s inner nature leading him to have no judgement for Tacita’s rather strange way of thinking and organising her thoughts.

By the time the pair departed the clearing, the sun well and truly set, they were secretly utterly taken with each other, and were stuck by each other’s side at Signal Academy from then on. While Kylar had always expressed a desire to attend the prestigious Atlas Academy upon graduating Signal, as soon as Tacita mentioned she planned on attending Beacon he immediately changed his mind to follow her, but to others he claimed it was because he wished to further his skills under the guidance of the legendary Professor Ozpin.

His time at Beacon is much like what his time at Signal was like; great marks in his classes, not many friends due to his notable lack of social skills, and the staff having high expectations.

But the differences are important, particularly the influence that Shina and Chrystal have had on him.

Encountering each other in the Emerald Forest, Kylar initially expected that Shina’s reckless nature would annoy him greatly, but instead Shina’s charisma and almost suspiciously friendly attitude meant that the impulsivity was rather endearing, and actively encouraged him to hype himself up and throw himself into what was happening, and this influence has continued through to present day.

Meanwhile Chrystal’s casual and mischievous presence disarmed the overly serious mood he always took on when there was work to be done, and Chrystal’s influence has stopped him brooding and scowling too much ever since, helping him know how and when to relax.

Neither Shina or Chrystal overtly minded Kylar’s nature either, with Shina finding Kylar a great support and found that Kylar’s logical mindset helped direct him and focus him, making the pair work well together from the onset. And Chrystal found him more funny than annoying, but never laughing at him mockingly, merely finding amusement at the poncing he did, and also found Kylar helped her in much the same way he helped Shina, motivating her to focus and strive instead of blowing things off too much like she was prone to do when left on her own.

These combined attitudes and approaches to him, this  _ acceptance  _ of him, have since tempered him greatly, and his arrogance has quietened with his ambition and relentless drive instead becoming his dominant traits in how he carries himself and presents himself, making him absolutely the focusing point of the team and directing Shina’s impulsive recklessness, Chrystal’s playful disregard for directions, and being able to focus the normally distracted and isolated Tacita.

Kylar respects Shina as team leader completely, and expressed even from the first months that he had complete trust in him. He is completely willing to follow Shina’s directions, but is also unafraid to mention his own opinions, which he was surprised to learn that Shina actually appreciates, being aware of his own shortcomings.

Towards the end of their first year at Beacon, on their way back from a mission Kylar was amped up enough on having absorbed electric dust that he took a page from Shina’s book and simply grabbed Tacita and kissed her, no longer able to pretend he was above what he’d been feeling. She reciprocated without any hesitation, and the pair have been together ever since.

With three months until the Vytal Festival now they’re in their second year, Kylar is the least interested out of the four when it comes to the combat tournament, not having the same enjoyment and adrenaline for fighting that the other three do. But, despite playfully and exaggeratingly moaning about it, he has willingly joined them in training just as hard and intends on giving it his all if it means seeing Shina excel in the singles matches and be in the spotlight where he believes his friend deserves to be.

**Tacita Everweb:**

Tacita Everweb grew up with her mother and father on a small self-sustaining farm on the island of Patch, a two hour walk from the main town where Signal Academy was. From childhood, Tacita was always very distracted and rather aloof, with an over-developed intuition and perception, resulting in her being easily overwhelmed by being around people when she wasn’t yet old enough to filter and understand what she was perceiving.

This resulted in a lonely childhood wandering around the small property her family lived on, occasionally going into town with her parents where she would spend the entire trip hiding in whichever empty shop or building she could find until they’d come and get her when it was hometime, purely so she could avoid the crowds.

At first she had a preference for the bookstore, and learned to read incredibly well from a young age. While her parents then began to hope she could apply it to learning academic skills, she instead focused all her attention on stories, developing a wild imagination. When asked by her parents what she wanted to do when she grew up, what she’d like to learn, she eagerly expressed a desire to become a huntress.

Surprised greatly that their quiet, reserved, and unbelievably gentle little girl wanted to fight and adventure, they gave into curiosity and took her along to the orientation day at Signal Academy to see how she might take to it. And were surprised further when she thrived, taking to every orientation activity with aloof mastery.

Seeing the smile on her face the entire day, being so happy at being there that being around so many other people didn’t seem to bother her, her parents didn’t have it in themselves to say no, and so the next year Tacita enrolled at Signal academy.

She confused many of her teachers greatly, as she had a peculiar way of thinking and reasoning, not having a logical train of thought, and yet almost always came to the correct answer regardless if it was a thought experiment or a logic puzzle. Yet calculated academics such as science and maths were beyond her, and she found it incredibly frustrating.

When it came to the age to start combat training, the students were asked what sort of style they thought they’d like to try, and drawing inspiration from her storybooks she immediately wanted to be a legendary archer. Eschewing any consideration of explosives or firearms, she studied as much engineering and physics as she could, and was eventually able to construct the prototype of what would eventually become Penumbral Ethos, her dust-powered bow and quiver.

It was during one of her first sessions training with her bow at the range when she grew increasingly frustrated that she wasn’t learning fast enough, and in her fourth hour of relentlessly trying again and again, straining her eyes to the point she was getting a headache, her semblance awakened. Truth’s Burden grants her unparalleled perception, giving her three-hundred-sixty degree long range vision, extremely sensitive hearing to the point of echolocation, and she unconsciously filters and combines what she senses together in order to give her a near-perfect understanding and awareness of her surroundings at all times. As she grows older and practices, her range is growing larger. When she awakened it at thirteen she had a range of a fifteen meter radius, except for the center of her eyes which were able to focus as eyes normally do on long-range targets.

By the time she was fifteen her range had increased to a fifty meter radius, and she was able to focus on all of it at once, no longer having peripheral vision or tunnel vision.

Now in her second year at Beacon, her range has increased to one hundred meters, and she’s finally mastered turning it on and off so she can return her senses to normal levels, to prevent her from getting overwhelmed.

Once she awakened Truth’s Burden her skills with her bow improved rapidly, as she was able to focus on multiple targets at once, at multiple ranges, and keep track of their positions around her even as she turned to fire at other targets nearby.

This incredible focus and drive to master her bow was jarring for her classmates and the teachers, as it was completely out of character for the otherwise distracted and isolated girl, who had given up on trying to talk to people and make friends by the age of thirteen and was instead content with small talk and chatting but nothing more, and was seemingly always distracted in class and always alone.

When she was fifteen, she was heading home from an afternoon shooting at the range when through Truth’s Burden she saw one of her classmates who she didn’t really know about to get attacked by Grimm  _ she  _ was able to see but he wasn’t, and knowing he was unawares she pulled her bow from her back and rushed to help him, reaching the clearing he was in just in time to turn the tide from the treeline.

Once it was done, she formally met Kylar Goroesi.

Undeterred by his abrasive nature, she was able to see past it with her insight she’d had since infancy and found she liked what she saw, and made sure to speak to who he was underneath instead of the surface. He also spoke to her with complete focus and a lack of judgement, instead being incredibly curious about everything she said that others would have dismissed as abnormal.

By the time they parted ways  _ hours  _ later, she was a smitten teenager. And her insight clearly failed her, because she didn’t know that  _ he  _ was too.

From then on, they were inseparable, and worked perfectly together both as friends but also on the battlefield.

Upon leaving for Beacon and entering the Emerald Forest for initiation, she was delightfully happy when Kylar willingly followed her to help assist another duo that she saw having trouble nearby, and they met Shina and Chrystal. Shina’s recklessness and unstoppable energy amuses her greatly, and she finds it helps her want to conquer whatever task is at hand and not be so distracted. Shina is one of the few people able to bring her into a conversation and keep her engaged and talking and interested, and make her feel like she’s being  _ listened  _ to. She knows how much he cares for all of them.

And Chrystal’s more laidback and playful nature helped her develop a confidence in her own distracted and aloof tendencies, meanwhile Chrystal also often joins her when Tacita is driven to go off on her aimless walks, only rarely speaking when a thought occurs to either of them.

In their first year, on their way back from a mission, she was just tired enough from the previous fight that she had deactivated Truth’s Burden in order to recharge, and it meant she didn’t see it coming when Kylar, the man she had fallen for years ago, pulled her in and kissed her. She didn’t hesitate for a moment.

Often underestimated due to her peculiarities, Tacita knows she _should_ feel like she has a lot to prove, but she doesn't let it bother her. She knows that when the whole of Beacon see her on the battlefield at the Vytal Tournament they'll eat their words, but until then she's content knowing that the other three believe in her.

**Chrystal Wasara:**

Chrystal Wasara, from the town of Caelitum, is most often described as a pain in the ass. Born to a loving and close-knit family alongside her twin brother Onyx, she was always the more playful and disobedient of the two. While she was always intelligent and capable, it was merely a disinterest in paying attention to things that got in the way of success, not having it in her personality to get impassioned about anything that was outside of her direct interests.

One of her main interests was climbing and adventuring, spending whole days from dawn until dusk in the nearby trees and rocks from a young age, scrambling around and finding as many nooks and crannies and little caves as she could, or climbing through the trees.

Her childhood best friend was her neighbour, Shina, whose family were close friends with hers. The pair were inseparable, and took up most of the hobbies the other one did, with Shina often joining Chrystal on her adventures (just not as acrobatically) meanwhile Chrystal joined Shina in the martial arts lessons he took with his father.

Chrystal was also starstruck with Shina’s mother, to a point that until she left for Beacon and cut it shorter she had worn her hair the same style as his mother did, and often tried her best to dress in a similar style.

When she was eleven, a tragedy struck when her home erupted into flames, going up scarily quickly, and it would have been inescapable if the desperate situation hadn’t awakened her semblance, Wind Dance, with her enhanced agility and mobility enabling her to easily get out through her window and land perfectly on the ground below.

The rest of her family weren’t so lucky, and by the time the fire was out she was an orphan, without even her twin brother.

The Kamisari family next door took her in without hesitation, and raised her as lovingly and gently as they could, but she was never the same. Her old ‘giggly’ playful nature instead replaced with a quieter and more mischievous one. She also developed a slight case of kleptomania, and spent more and more time in the trees and mountains due to the safety provided to her by Wind Dance.

Her semblance Wind Dance provides her with unbelievably fluid and perfect agility and mobility, including giving her perfect reflexes and coordination along with inhuman flexibility. It’s almost impossible to hit her in melee combat, and outside of combat scenarios she’s able to climb almost any surface, even seeming to run up walls or other sheer surfaces, and her jump height and distance are increased as well.

Not hesitating for a moment to join Pharos Academy alongside Shina, she took to academic studies  _ slightly  _ better than he did, and while she wasn’t nearly as good as him in melee combat she excelled him by far in ranged combat with her weapon kit Obscuri Tempest; two curved shortswords shaped to be aerodynamic and her two handguns with modified grips to make it easier to hold onto them and maneuver them mid-movement and in midair.

One thing that distinguished her from the other students was her aerial style of combat, able to not just use her blades while in jumps or flips, but also use her pistols mid-movement.

This allows her to compliment Shina perfectly, as Shina is a growing expert in single combat, meanwhile Chrystal is excellent at dealing with groups, and administering crowd control due to her constant movement and willingness to fight from heights or otherwise unconventional positions, even able to fight while hanging upside down. The agility limitations of Wind Dance are still not quite known to her, even now at eighteen, as the factor by which they increase her agility grows as her base physical fitness increases. While she is not able to stand up to Pyrrha Nikos like Shina can, she is comfortably in the top rankings in Beacon purely for how impossible it is to land a hit on her due to her unnatural reflexes, Shina himself needing the Second Cut in order to hit her, meanwhile Tacita trains with Chrystal to try and improve her aim. But despite having been team members and training partners for over a year Tacita has only hit her with an arrow twice. But while her defence is flawless, her offence is lacking, leading her to easily become frustrated in fights against opponents who she can't hit and she ends up in stand-offs with.

Chrystal is a cause of great frustration for a lot of the teachers due to her seeming refusal to properly commit herself to her studies, because she  _ has  _ shown in the past that she is extremely capable and intelligent when she commits herself to what she’s working on. While she does not have any particular proficiency for academics, she has a natural gut instinct that helps her thrive in puzzle situations and mission simulations that require quick thinking and guesswork.

In fact her gut instinct and luck is so sharp that the staff have occasionally wondered if she somehow has a second Semblance.

From the moment she met them, Chrystal took to Tacita and Kylar very quickly, and considered them her friends by the time their initiation in the Emerald Forest came to a close, intending on keeping in contact with them once everyone was put on teams. When they found out they would all be put on a team  _ together,  _ she was overjoyed, and bonded to them rapidly.

While her trust in Shina was already absolute and without a chance of breaking, following him as leader with every part of her being, she took a bit longer to trust the other two. While she was fond of them and liked them, she was wary to trust them due to how unusual they both were, which was a judgemental decision she has judged  _ herself  _ for having ever since she got over it.

Kylar is one of the few forces on the planet that can focus her, as he is able to motivate her through the sheer force of his ambition and drive to succeed and  _ thrive  _ giving him a unique talent for getting her to apply herself entirely to whatever they’re trying to achieve, whether it be success on a mission or doing well at a specific test, though the second one takes a lot more work on his part in order to get her up to it.

Meanwhile Tacita tempers her, able to reason with her and slow her down, drawing her out of her more disinterested and disruptive phases by helping her be more self-aware and grounded. The two have a quiet friendship, able to be completely silent in each other's company and be totally comfortable, leading to the two of them having spent plenty of time alone together just either casually spending time together or spending time out in the city browsing with quiet conversation about all manner of things. 

When Kylar and Tacita got together, Chrystal found herself wrestling with a very strange fear that she wasn’t sure how to interpret or how to deal with, and it presented itself in abrasive opposition to their relationship, afraid that if things went wrong it would break up the family that the team had become, and destroy the home they had built in their dorm.

Thankfully the two of them didn’t take it personally, and it bought Chrystal enough time to realise that she was simply scared of losing another family and that the fear was presenting itself unfairly, and she was able to reason with it and talk it through with the other three, who were able to reassure her.

While Kylar and Tacita are together and hadn’t even looked at anyone else since they’d met, and Shina was a heartbreaker who earned the name, Chrystal has always been content to have a bit of fun but never much more than that. She knows she’s scared of  _ something _ , but she’s not sure what it is. So, until she figures it out and deals with it, she’s content to love her new family with all her heart, and put off anything else until later.

She would do anything for the other three, without limitation or hesitation. She's already lost one family, she won't disappoint or lose another.

And she is unbelievably excited to kick ass with them at the Vytal Tournament in three months, particularly looking forward to fighting alongside Shina in the doubles round, fully confident that they’ll get that far and qualify.


	2. Hitting A Roadblock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aimless and frustrated, Team SKTC have hit a roadblock in training AND in studying, increasingly frustrated by the complications and chaos within Vale and the school itself. When team leader Shina goes to Professor Ozpin to ask for advice, he unknowingly puts his team on the man's radar, and a simple-looking student mission is handed out...

“-as far as studies have shown, Grimm species evolved in small but noticeable ways during the Great War when the borders were closed and species were isolated and no longer able to travel, leading some to suspect that _some_ rarer Grimm species are localised around the specific fears of a local area. While most academics who study the Grimm dismiss this theory, rumination on it persists. When Dr Heron conducted her-”

As Professor Port continued to drone on and on, Kylar scribbled down almost a transcript of what the man was saying while looking out the window and not paying much more attention than was required to do so, instead simply fully intending on reading over the ramblings later and picking out the useful from the useless. Port was an excellent teacher in many ways, but was far more educationally competent in simulated scenarios and _not_ the classroom, as far as Kylar considered it anyway.

Half amused that he was literally watching clouds move across the sky while in the middle of class, he let out a long and quiet sigh as he continued aimlessly transcribing, with Shina dozing to his right, Chrystal actively on her scroll underneath the table on Shina’s other side. Meanwhile on his left, Tacita seemed to be paying attention to Port intently, though she wasn’t taking any notes, and Kylar noticed as she kept having to hide small smiles and give small coughs that he suspected were to cover laughter.  
Raising an eyebrow at her, he shrugged and wrote for a few more minutes before giving up when Port began simply giving personal anecdotes, and he tossed his pen down onto his desk and closed his eyes to rest them, squeezing them shut for a moment and then smiling when he felt Tacita squeeze his leg affectionately for a moment before she crossed her arms on her desk again.  
Next to him, Shina had begun to slip into a deep enough doze that he was gradually sliding over, and would likely end up on the floor if he didn’t wake up.

So Kylar let him sleep, watching casually while Chrystal was doing the same, the two of them glancing at each other with a grin as Shina reached the edge of his desk and still continued to slump, his body trying to lay down entirely.

As Port gave a laugh at a memory and continued reminiscing, Kylar and Chrystal glanced at each other with one more grin before watching Shina once again.

**_BANG_ **

Shina had slid off his desk entirely and dropped to the classroom floor, hitting his head on Chrystal’s desk on the way down hard enough his aura briefly flashed.

“FUCK!”

If the bang hadn’t attracted the entire class's attention, the pained and surprised exclamation would have, and the entire classroom fell silent as Shina’s eyes clicked open wide and stared up and around, still laying on the floor. Assessing his situation, he looked to Kylar and gave an exasperated glare. Kylar shrugged.

“Mr Kamisari, I do apologise if the history of Grimm evolution, which _could save your life_ , is not particularly interesting to you, though I have never heard a complaint about my teaching expressed with such aggressive and direct profanity before, never indeed!” Port raised his voice slightly from the front of the classroom, facing their direction with his hands behind his back and a bushy eyebrow raised.

A few whispers and snickers were audible in the classroom as Shina picked himself up sheepishly and sank back down into his place on the bench with an apologetic grin.

“Sorry professor. Was up late last night studying. Professor Firenei’s exams are brutal.”

Letting out a long, _long_ sigh, Port thinned his lips and had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, instead merely raising both his eyebrows and humming loudly. “Oh? Well I _certainly hope_ your late night studying didn’t _once again_ end in a meeting with campus security on your way back from town, Mr Kamisari. I may not have been there since I was a much younger lad, but I don’t believe the Hunt’s Revelry club _has books_.”

Shina and Chrystal gave each other a guilty look, meanwhile down the front of the classroom, where everyone was paying rapt attention to the exchange, Yang Xiao Long winced with her own stab of amused guilt at the pointed look Weiss shot her, but the attention of the class was still on Shina who was continuing to sink lower into the bench, though not by the same cause as last time.

“Detention tonight, Mr Kamisari. And Ms Wasara can join you.”

“Wait, what??” Chrystal sat up straighter and looked between Port and Shina rapidly. “What did - _I-_ do?”

“You haven’t looked up from underneath your desk in forty minutes, and I know the _floor_ isn’t particularly captivating. I have been a professional Huntsman for many years, Ms Wasara. I have a keen perception.”

“I-it-and…” Chrystal furrowed her brows in frustration before sighing in resignation and clenching her jaw. “Yes sir.”

“Good. I shall tell Professor Goodwitch to expect you both at seven o’clock. Now, as I was saying, when-”

As the attention of the class gradually returned to Port’s lecture, Shina shot a frustrated yet amused glare at Kylar, and whispered.

“Seriously? Thanks.”

“Don’t glare at _me_ for this. I am not responsible for your hangovers. Not my fault you’re tired.” Kylar shrugged, giving a small half-smile as he began to take notes again.

“ _You_ drank the last of the coffee.” Shina shot back.

“I told you we were running low and I left my card on the counter. The groceries are your and Chrystal’s responsibility, you’re the one with the quadbike.”

“I...you... _god dammit_.” Shina narrowed his eyes and thinned his lips in playful annoyance, before sighing in light acceptance and starting to copy Kylar’s notes, though with far less accuracy.

Meanwhile Tacita still hadn’t said a word, hadn’t even really reacted to the entire exchange with Port, instead still sitting and _seeming_ to pay total attention, though Kylar narrowed his eyes as he watched the tiny expressions flicker along her face, and he nudged her.

“You’re not paying the slightest bit of attention at all, are you.”

Blinking and snapping out of it, she looked over at Kylar and gave a small cheeky grin. “I set up my scroll inside my bag before class, I’ve been listening to an audiobook the past half-hour.”

Staring at her in bewilderment for a moment, Kylar gave a single blink before wordlessly turning back to his note taking, trying his hardest to stifle the small smirk that wanted to emerge, unable to stop it when Tacita nudged him playfully and clearly went back to her book, which they both knew only she had hearing sharp enough in the class to hear it from her bag.  
The rest of the class passed quietly, all four of them relieved that they had the last two periods of the day off so they could get their workout done and then simply go back to their dorm, with Shina intending on sleeping off the fatigue and headache from the previous night that were both _definitely_ going to get worse from their training session, not waking until his detention.

As they made their way out of the classroom, they were stopped when Professor Port cleared his throat.

“Mr Goroesi, a word if you please.”

Blinking in surprise, Kylar gave a smile to the others. “I’ll meet you in the gym.”

The others nodded and gave Port a wave, getting a fond nod in response though Shina _also_ received a slight glare of frustration, and they headed out, leaving just Kylar and Port in the classroom. Gesturing to the door to his office, Port opened the door for Kylar and followed him inside. Standing politely with his hands behind his back, Kylar gave the professor a respectful nod as the man began to put away his teaching notes and gather what he would need for the next class.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“Oh nothing serious, my boy. I merely wished to enquire on whether your parents are planning on attending the Vytal Festival later this year. It has been quite a time since I’ve seen Miss Tesse, after all.”

“They’re going to try from what I’ve heard, but dad’s been travelling a lot.” Kylar sighed in a degree of dejection and nodded. “Mum will _definitely_ be here, though”

“Marvelous! Well, as always the offer for hospitality here in the school is open for them, Professor Ozpin has always made that clear to them. How goes young Danton’s studies? Does he hope to attend Beacon next year?”

“He does, sir.” Kylar smiled proudly. “He’s nervous about the entrance exam, but I think he’ll be good enough in time.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Port hummed a thought to himself as he glanced out the window and tapped a hand on his desk. “Good to hear! Good to hear. He’s a strapping young lad, much like yourself. But...there is _another_ matter I wish to ask you about.”

“Whatever it is you need, sir.”

Port sighed and gave Kylar a look of gentle concern. “As much as it pains me to pry, I can speak for the rest of the staff when I express that we’re concerned for Ms Wasara’s current wellbeing. Her behaviour as of late is a new level even for her, and Mr Kamisari is clearly following her down. Is she alright?”

“It…” Kylar sighed, biting the inside of his cheek as he debated how much he should say, but he nodded and bit the bullet. “Next week is the anniversary of her family, sir. According to Shina it’s always been a hard anniversary for her. She takes it rough. Shina’s looking after her as best he can.”

“I see...it was a tragedy to read about on her transcripts, Professor Ozpin did inform all of us about it.” Port hummed in concern as he furrowed his brow, reaching up to stroke his mustache in deeper thought. “Am I right in my suspicions they’ve been sneaking out, my boy?”

“...I...have no direct knowledge of their nightly activities or routines, sir. I spend most of my nights in the library and would have no way of knowing whether or not they leave the dorm, though they are always there when I depart after we finish our training, and they are always in their bunks when I wake up.” Kylar said simply in monotone, giving a dismissive shrug while his eyes stayed determined.

Staring at him for a moment and tapping his fingers on his desk again, Port thinned his lips as he held the boy’s gaze, before slowly nodding. “I see. Very well. Well, in consideration of current circumstances, if they will strive to maintain focus in their next class I believe we can waive their detention tonight. But if they continue to slip, there have to be consequences.”

“Understood sir. Thank you.” Kylar relaxed slightly and gave a grateful smile, getting a concerned but warm nod from the man.

“Well then, I have another class in ten minutes with the first-years, and I believe you have training to get to. While I’m impressed with the four of you for your determination to thrive in the tournament, do let me know if you all wish to re-enroll into the extracurricular excursions program. I believe it would help to curtail Ms Wasara’s and Mr Kamisari’s decline in grades quite a large deal to get them back out there and into the wilds!” The man said with enthusiasm, tilting his head and raising a clenched fist with energetic encouragement. The man had been their escort on training missions many times, and had a taste for the more _exciting_ missions that the team also loved.

“I’ll ask them to consider it sir. Thank you. I’ll tell my parents you said hi?” Kylar smiled and readjusted his satchel, relaxing and backing up for the door.

“Please do so! Take care, my boy. And...do let Ms Wasara know that not a single member of the faculty would hesitate to be there for her if she wished to talk.”

“I will sir. Thank you again.”

Turning to the door and opening it, Kylar stepped into the classroom that was already starting to fill with the students of the year below him for their own class, and he got a few looks as he made his way out. It had amused him even last year that the second-years get such looks of respect and admiration from the first-years, and the third-years even moreso. So known as a second-year, even though he’d barely been one for a _month_ , he made sure to give smiles to the younger students who looked at him with an almost wide-eyed respect, getting smiles back.  
Shrugging it off, he shuffled his satchel so it sat behind him as he walked, and fiddled with the strap mindlessly as he quickly began to head back to the dorm to change. Classes were five days a week, and right now the team did gym and combat training three hours an afternoon on four of those days, and six hours on Saturdays split up into three bursts of two hours.  
It was brutal, and if they didn’t have aura to heal their bodies they almost certainly wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long without hurting themselves, but just three months of the routine had Kylar feeling different in his own skin, noticing he was stronger and rapidly improving.

Walking along and mulling in his thoughts, he jumped when a presence appeared next to him and spoke.

“Kylar! Did you hear that Atlas are apparently planning on dedicating an entire channel to the Vytal Tournament this year? Not just the fights, but interviews with the teams, statistics and information...they want to make it a real _spectacle_ apparently.”

Coughing as he jumped, Kylar looked over at where Irik of Team Bright had suddenly appeared next to him, and he scowled in annoyance at being startled, getting a self-satisfied grin from the overly cheerful boy.  
Kylar sighed as he let it go, and frowned in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“I’d...heard that Atlas had things planned, according to dad, but... _nothing_ like that.”

“Yeah? Like what then?” Irik walked a few paces ahead and turned, able to face Kylar as he walked backwards, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Irik was cheerful, extroverted, and had also the charisma that his team leader Boral lacked. Tall, dark skin, dark hair, bright green eyes, and always dressing as if he was well aware of how muscular he was, Irik was one of a handful of people who never seemed bothered by Kylar’s... _lack_ of charisma, and so he grinned at Kylar as he poked for details.  
Mulling over what he’d heard from his dad and also overheard from some of the visitors from Atlas currently on campus, Kylar frowned in thought for a few moments before shrugging, the frown vanishing as he dismissed the issue. “Knowing Atlas, likely something big and flashy so they can show off. Everyone knows Beacon intimidates them.”

“As well we should!” Irik grinned and nodded in complete agreement, spinning on his heel and dropping back to walk in pace with Kylar again. “But seriously, if you heard anything about what else Atlas might be bringing in, you’d share the details right? Information is key to victory.”

“The thing is, I’m _genuinely_ unsure if that sort of behind-the-scenes information counts as cheating. How’d you hear about this whole channel thing?”

“Oh I have my sources.”

“Yeah? What’s his name this time?”

“...that’s hurtful, Kylar. I would never apply my charms in such a way.” Irik looked mock offended for a few moments before grinning and shaking his head. “But seriously, I’ve got an online friend who got a job in IT at Mantle, they heard the news and texted me immediately.”

“Interesting…” Kylar narrowed his eyes in thought as he bit the inside of his cheek. “I get that Vytal is a big deal-”

“One could say it’s rather _vital_ -”

“Shut up. I get that it’s a big deal, but why make it _such_ a big deal this time…” Kylar frowned and started fiddling with the strap on his satchel again, shaking his head slowly as his mind couldn’t decide on which thing to focus on.

Watching his friend tear his brain apart, Irik let him think as he looked around. Plenty of the student body were planning big things for the tournament this year, and had every intention of making a display of themselves. It wasn’t just a friendly competition between schools, or a display of friendship and partnership, the Tournament was a chance for individual teams and individual huntsmen to broadcast what they could do. To make a name for themselves.  
To start to build a reputation that would boost their careers even before they started them.

Prior winners of the tournament had ended up going down in history as some of the most successful huntsmen of their generations. To the world, it was a spectacle and display of competitive friendship.

But to young huntsmen, it was a _big_ deal.

Most of the more ambitious teams in Beacon were starting the process of kicking into overdrive, not just Team Sketch. While Team Bright weren’t even enrolling in it to participate, they were at least intending on keeping up with their classmates. But the four boys knew that Team Sketch _did_ want to win the thing, so Irik felt no qualms about giving Kylar any sort of heads up that might help.

In exchange for gossip and information in return of course.  
Fair was fair.

Hearing Kylar hum in thought, Irik looked over at him and raised his eyebrows in expectant wait, getting rewarded when Kylar nodded in some sort of conclusion and looked over at him.

“Still got any friends from the Academy itself? Any that happen to be here on campus already?”

“...I mean, I know Petyr and Sunny from Team Sparks, and they’re one of the teams that came here. But I doubt any of them are going to spill beans about their country’s tournament plans.”

“Ugh, fair.” Kylar wrinkled up his nose in annoyance. “...Beacon huntsmen have won the tournament three times in a row now...but _now_ Atlas wants to make a deal of it...they’ve got to be planning on showing something off.”

“What, you think this is going to be some sort of PR campaign? Getting their butts kicked?”

Snorting, Kylar shrugged, giving Irik an apologetic look. “Yeah I’ve got nothing. But I’ll ask my dad if he knows anything more. It’s _gotta_ be new tech. Something new to display...”

“Maybe.” Irik shrugged. “The Amity Arena itself arrives in a month, doesn’t it?”

“Mhm.” Kylar nodded, the pair of them stepping out of the classroom block and out into the central courtyard of the school grounds, filled with students and professional Huntsmen bustling around with their own business.

Beacon was always a hub of activity, operating not just as a Huntsman academy, but also being the center of authority and administration for the entire city. It was the brains and the pulse point of the entire region, and was never quiet, even in the night hours. And considering plenty of students from the other Academies had already arrived in the city for the Tournament that began in only three months, it was busier than ever.  
But at four in the afternoon on a sunny day, the mood in the air was almost lazy and relaxed, students spread out talking or taking advantage of the nice weather to study outside.

Glancing over to where the rest of his team were sprawled out in the shade, Irik clapped Kylar on the back and gave him a smile. “Keep me posted, and I’ll let you know if I hear anything else. If Vytal is a bigger deal than usual this year...could be a lot of excitement. Shina and Chrystal going to be ready?”

“Okay I’m _definitely_ not telling you any details on that front. We’ve got our secrets, even from you guys.” Kylar raised an eyebrow, but grinned back, the two of them stepping away from each other for Irik to head to his team and Kylar to head to his dorm.

“Ouch, _also_ hurtful. Don’t you trust me?” Irik pouted.

“You’re the biggest gossip in the year, Irik.” Kylar spread his hands helplessly, walking backwards as he faced him.

Thinking over it for a few moments, Irik nodded in confession and gave a grin and wink, waving goodbye as he turned and jogged back to his team. Kylar chuckled and rolled his eyes as he watched him go, before quickly making his way back to his dorm, tossing his satchel onto his bed and then changing into his combat gear as quickly as he could, snatching up Myriadisca and slinging it onto his back, grabbing his case of pre-prepared dust crystals and jogging to the training complex.

Sighing in relief when he stepped into the air conditioned facility, he waved to a few familiar faces as he went past, having been becoming known as a regular with how much time Team Sketch spent here these days. Power walking to Training Room 3, the standard room the team always chose, he wasn’t surprised to see Shina and Chrystal going at it when he stepped inside, Tacita likely in the firing range and planning on staying there since they had the extra time.

Placing his workout gear where the others had placed their own, he hopped up onto the railing of the training arena and began the process of loading the cylindrical dust cartridges into his staff, finding the process incredibly soothing as he did it without needing to look, instead keeping an eye on Shina and Chrystal as they both sparred, currently working on their hand to hand combat.

Barely any of the other students were trained in unarmed combat, it was a gap in their education that Shina’s father had insisted on filling in for him and Chrystal, and it had given them an advantage quite a few times in the past with how it conditioned them to respond to certain threats and attacks. In terms of skill, Shina was better than Chrystal. _Far_ better. But difference in skill wasn’t the issue when it came to sparring Chrystal. The problem was in hitting her. With Shina’s skill helping his own defence and stopping Chrystal from hitting him, and Chrystal’s semblance making her practically untouchable, spars between the two of them went on for some time, and were more used as cardio workouts and warmups instead of being actual sparring practice.

Clicking his staff closed when it was fully loaded and leaning on it as he sat, he watched the spar for some time and watched as it unsurprisingly went nowhere, and from the way they were both sweating they’d clearly been at it for some time.

Whenever any training bouts went on too long in class, Professor Goodwitch often called them to a close and called them as a tie, but since she wasn’t here to do so it was likely that the two of them would keep going until one of them dropped purely out of exhaustion. A fight of attrition. Tapping his fingers on his staff as he frowned, Kylar slid his grip down until a finger rested on a crystal of gravity dust, and he barely needed to focus as he absorbed it into his aura, getting the familiar feeling of being lighter and more balanced as his natural equilibrium used the gravity energy to enhance him. But instead of basking in it, he brought the energy into his hand and extended it towards the sparring pair, specifically the ground beneath them, and he released a focused burst of the energy with a particular intention in mind.

The ground beneath the sparring pair rippled a dark purple as the energy made contact and settled, before instantly flaring into activation and doubling the gravity in the ring, making it so the pair had to use twice as much muscle and energy to perform any particular move or stretch. Chrystal shot a quick glare over at him as she felt the extra strain, but her semblance fought through it anyway and she still held the advantage, meanwhile Shina was almost pushed to a point he would have to start using his _own_ semblance to keep up, despite the fact they’d set the rule that he wouldn’t use it during most training spars, to make sure he wouldn’t develop a dependency on it.

Waiting and watching for another two minutes and noticing as the pair were starting to tire and slow down, with punches and kicks starting to make contact even by Shina on Chrystal, though they were still little more than glancing blows she’d barely feel, Kylar half-absorbed a red dust crystal and waved his hand again, drawing a particular focus on the arena and watching as the ground and air of the ring began to grow increasingly hot, and would continue to do so until the ground hurt to stand on and the air was hot enough it would be hard to keep their eyes open.

The energy from the gravity dust had burned out, not being able to last particularly long, so it was trading one obstacle for another, and it had the desired effect of changing the combat conditions.

Almost jumping out of his skin when he was hugged from behind, he smiled when Tacita’s chin rested on his shoulder and she softly kissed his cheek, before whispering into his ear. “Making things difficult for them?”

“They were pulling their punches. And I need the practice too.”

“Mm. Fair enough love. Speaking of practice, did you bring my dust arrows?”

“New ones are in the case. You sure about training with live fire on the range in front of everyone?”

“Who said anything about the range?” She said in sing-song as she skipped over to his crystal case and clicked it open, retrieving some of her special dust arrows from inside. Taking her quiver from her back, she slid the arrows into their special slots and locked them into place, slinging her quiver back into its place again and hitting the switch to turn it on.

Picking her bow up, she checked the small dial that rotated her quiver to set which type of arrow was in place to be grabbed, and nodded in satisfaction before making her way back over to the side of the ring where the pair were _still_ going at it, though they were now both sweating profusely from the heat that was thankfully already starting to fade, the two of them moving sluggishly from the exhaustion.

Humming in satisfaction, she tilted her head in contemplation as she studied how they were both moving, before pulling an ice arrow from her back, aiming, and firing it at their feet with scarily fast speed and precision, it all looking like the one seamless movement that was faster than Kylar could have swung his staff.

Very few huntsmen used bows. They were considered archaic and ineffective compared to firearms and explosives, an outdated weapon where modern designs of them couldn’t keep up with the customisable utility of guns. Which unfortunately meant it didn’t _sound_ like a high bar when Team SKTC confidently said that Tacita was one of the best archers in generations.

She hadn’t been born that way, but her focus and ruthless training, combined with a semblance perfectly complimentary of the weapon style, had led to her easily having the highest Grimm kill count on the team. The rest of the school had heard about it when a girl using a _bow_ had qualified as a registered marksman and sniper.

And how she _used_ Penumbral Ethos, built and upgraded a dozen times into the sleek gorgeous weapon it was now, made a mockery of the argument that bows fell short compared to guns.

Kylar loved watching her shoot. The way her focus zeroed in, in a way that it never did with anything else. The look of complete serenity she got on her face. The sheer skill she had, the smoothness she’d developed from years and years of driving herself to the bone mastering it.

Also it was just really sexy when your girlfriend could blow things up with a bow with perfect accuracy.

That’s just a given.

The arrow flew true and pierced the floor at the sparring pair’s feet, immediately bursting into a splay of ice along the ground, Shina swearing when he stepped on it and his foot threatened to slip, meanwhile Chrystal had easily flipped out of range and bounced, not even brushing any iced sections of the floor. It wasn’t a surprise.

Shina leapt out of it as well, landing easily, the pair of them making their way over to the edge of the arena as Kylar quickly absorbed some fire dust and let loose a wave of rippling hot air to melt the ice away into steam.

Grabbing her towel from the railing, Chrystal wiped herself free of the copious amounts of sweat that she’d built up during the dragged out fight that had been worsened by the rest of the team, groaning into her towel in satisfaction at her warm muscles and how loose her body felt, despite how tired she was. Hanging her towel back over the railing, she sighed and gave Kylar and Tacita a raised eyebrow and smile.

“Was all of that strictly necessary?”

“You were both looking too comfortable.” Kylar said with a casual thoughtful look as he replaced the three crystals he’d used. Wiping himself down as well, Shina hummed in agreement as he looked off at the wall in thought with a frown.

“He’s right. We’re too used to fighting each other, Chrystal. It doesn’t feel like we’re going to learn much more, and if we do it too much we’ll _only_ be used to fighting each other. Other people’s styles will start to surprise us.”

Looking at the other three when no-one replied Shina caught Kylar staring at him with eyebrows raised in surprise at his analysis, while the other two simply checked over their stuff, Shina gave Kylar a shrug.

“Same with you as well. You know what throws the two of us off, and you do it over and over again. When was the last time you even _used_ lightning dust? You stopped in training when you realised it doesn’t work against Chrystal and I, despite it being where you’ve managed to devise some of your strongest direct-combat combinations.”

Frowning in thought, Kylar tilted his head as he tried to remember, flitting back through the last three months of solid training and raising his eyebrows. “...that’s true. It _has_ been...a while. Our excursion with Oobleck into the ruins in Quadrant 3.”

“That was two months ago.” Shina thinned his lips and raised his eyebrows as his point was proved. “And just because you can’t use it against _us_ , doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be of any use against a ranged opponent like Tacita. And what about those adrenaline boosting...you know, the combos that you were figuring out?”

“Induced adrenaline rejuvenation and resuscitation. Trying to come up with a combination that can briefly rejuvenate someone’s body to be able to operate as if they’ve got aura left when they don’t. Blocking out pain, moving _slightly_ faster with a _bit_ more strength, that sort of quick boost. But it’s…” Kylar let out a low breath as he tapped his hands on the railing on either side of his legs in thought. “Combining two dust variations I can do. But three is a push, especially with gravity dust.”

“Is it a risk?”

“To other people?” Kylar thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Not unless my focus fails in a major way. It’s the drain on my aura that I can’t sustain. Combining _four_ is almost impossible unless I want to get one shot off and then my aura shatters.”

Mulling as he tossed his towel over to his gym bag and leant against the railing with his arms crossed, Shina looked over his three teammates one by one, thinking over not just the tournament ahead but their effectiveness in general. While Kylar and Chrystal always glowed at the praise Team Sketch got, Shina had always determidly refused to let it go to his head.

Meanwhile Tacita never seemed to register the praise at all, simply continuing to apply herself the same way she always had; with casual disinterest in the classroom but still getting high marks, and with brutal yet somehow serene focus in training.

Humming to himself as he thought, Shina rubbed his eyes, still stinging from the sweat that had been in them only minutes before. The Vytal Tournament was split into a series of rounds, with the tournament field itself using a special segmented arena that rotated biomes randomly from a set selection, up until the singles matches which were done on a flat arena. There really wasn’t any sort of environmental training they could do that they didn’t already have incredible amounts of experience in handling, except for the fire biome which they _couldn’t_ practice in due to the lack of...well...a volcano nearby. Though they _had_ been using the AC system, and Kylar’s semblance with fire crystals, to train themselves to fight in intense heat. Same for the ice biome, which they couldn’t truly replicate, but they could simulate the general properties of it. When it came to combat techniques, they had developed excellent cohesion there _months_ ago even before Vytal training, able to work in all variations of duo and trio matchups as well as working independently, and _especially_ working as a unit of four.

But, lately they were only training against each other, and that meant going around in circles.

Shaking his head, Shina spoke up, glancing over at the others.

“The training grind is done, we’ve done what we can, it’s just a matter of our actual physical conditioning and our instincts now. It’s instinct that will decide the outcome in the matches, we’ve got our skills as high as they’ll go for now.”

“So what are you thinking?” Chrystal looked over at him from where she’d been seated at one of the tables cleaning Obscuri Tempest, the components laid out neatly in front of her and a polishing rag in her hand.

“We should start going back out into the field again. Back into live-combat situations. We have two months until the Vytal Tournament qualifiers, and a month after that until the first matches start. That’s three months of as much field experience we can get, to sharpen our instincts as much as possible.”

Tacita and Kylar glanced at each other and Kylar raised his eyebrows, Tacita thinking over it for a moment before nodding in agreement and looked over at Shina. “Sounds like a plan.”

Kylar nodded as well. “Port did express a hope we’d sign up for the excursions again. Though he tried not to word it that way.”

“Oh yeah, what’d he want to talk to you about anyway?” Chrystal tilted her head.

“At first just about my parents. But he’s worried about you two as well, and probably figured I was the one to talk to. Just told him it was a rough time and that you’d be okay.”

Pausing for a moment as she thought about it, Chrystal nodded slowly and looked back down at the table, going back to methodically cleaning. “He knows it’s that time then?”

“Yeah. The whole faculty knows. Thank Professor Ozpin for that. On a bright side, you two don’t have detention tonight.” Kylar offered with raised eyebrows and a shrug, getting a small smile from Chrystal in response even as she didn’t look back up from her work.

There were a few moments of quiet as they each did their own maintenance and checks on their gear, with Shina flicking through the training journal he’d been keeping as record for how they’d each been doing and what they each had to work on.

Remembering something, Kylar looked around at each of them again. “Oh, Irik from Team Bright? Apparently a friend of his from Mantle told him that Atlas is planning on broadcasting the entire Festival on a dedicated channel. The whole thing. Live coverage and analytics and the whole deal.”

The other three immediately looked over in surprise, with Chrystal and Shina glancing at each other, before all four of them shared glances as Kylar sat down at the same table as Chrystal and shrugged in a sort of helpless curiosity.

Humming in thought, Shina flipped the journal closed and drummed his fingers on it a few times. “That’s...hmm. New. And not at all anxiety inducing.”

“ _Definitely_ new…” Tacita murmured in thought with a frown as she took her quiver from her back, then retracting Penumbral Ethos into its folded up form and clipping it onto the side of the quiver, placing both in her bag. “But why?”

“He’s not sure. Neither am I.” Kylar shook his head.

“Did he say when it starts?”

“He didn’t mention specifics.” Shaking his head again, Kylar closed up his case of dust crystals, accepting that apparently their workout was finishing early. “But considering the fairgrounds are setting up in a month, I’d say that’s when it might start. Though they might not really get things moving until after the qualifiers when they’ll then have the information on who’s competing.”

“...okay, okay. Okay.” Chrystal grinned as she looked up, shrugging and spreading her hands. “Am I the only one _really_ curious what they’ll say about us? Reckon we’ll have to have headshots done for them to show on screen? What if we get to do interviews?”

The other three stared over at her for a few moments, until she ended up spreading her arms higher and wider in enthusiasm. “ **No!** I **refuse** for this to _**only** _ be taken **seriously**! I’m excited about it. We should get a team uniform. Our combat gear basically already matches each other anyway now that we’ve started using the same colours, why not do it properly?”

At that, Shina couldn’t help but snort in amusement and give a grin, while Kylar sighed in exasperation and finished packing up his stuff. Meanwhile Tacita looked contemplative, and she tilted her head while looking at the wall in thought.

“I don’t believe it is so much about what they might say, as much as it is about why they are saying it. What is it about their students that they want the whole world to see and know?”

“You specifically think it’s about the students?” Shina asked as he slung Hornet’s Kiss onto his back, his workout bag over his shoulder.

Pausing for a few moments as she mulled it over a bit more, Tacita nodded slowly and thoughtfully. “First their army arrived, and now we find out this, which has _clearly_ been planned for just as long if not longer. There has to be a reason for this.”

“As _fun_ and _dramatic_ as it is to be all cynical and paranoid…” Chrystal finished reassembling her handguns and reloaded them so they were combat ready, though making sure no rounds were chambered. “If it’s been planned, that means it’s been talked about. They wouldn’t bother to still do it if they didn’t know they’d get the information they need, so the other headmasters obviously agreed to it.”

“I think Chrystal’s right.” Kylar nodded, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway, but not opening it just yet. “And Professor Ozpin wouldn’t agree to it if the rest of the professors didn’t agree as well. If Ozpin trusts it, I’m good with it.”

Gesturing at Kylar in agreement while looking at the others, Chrystal shrugged and stood as well, grabbing her own gear in preparation to return to their dorm, leaving the four of them just standing around looking at each other in thought with their gear over their shoulders.

Sighing in thought, Shina ran a hand through his hair as he opened the training room door and the four of them headed out into the hallways, starting their way back to their dorm.

“I’m not sure it’s wrong to be a bit paranoid right now. Things have been wild in Vale for months now, getting less and less safe, Atlas brought their army here, the White Fang are getting aggressive to the point there was that shootout down at the docks. Something’s not right.” 

Shina readjusted his bag on his shoulder as he led the way back, getting a hesitant and reluctant hum of agreement from Chrystal.

She sighed. “...that’s fair, I guess. Nothing we can really do about it though.”

“Apart from going on excursions to the boundaries to help stop the Grimm that are being drawn to the anxiety, no. All we can do is watch, wait, and kick ass in the tournament.” Shina shrugged, glancing over his shoulder at the others. “Look, I wish we could go be superheroes too. Government conspiracies, crime waves, unspoken goings-ons as all nations converge...sounds like a blast. But...”

“No, no you’re right.” Kylar let out a slow sigh and relented the point, nodding in resignation and agreement. “We’re thinking of boulders when we have pebbles to focus on.”

“We can at least hope that there are people focusing on the boulders.” Tacita sighed with a shrug, keeping her eyes closed so she wasn’t flooded by the visual information of the large numbers of people around them and instead navigating purely by the echolocation _also_ granted by her Semblance, but with one hand held by Kylar anyway.

“I’m sure there are, but I’ll be honest, there _is_ a far more pressing question I think the four of us need to consider.” Chrystal gave out a large sigh, squaring her shoulders as she got the attention of the others, before glancing around at them all. “Where are we eating for dinner tonight? We eating in the dorm, going out, or going to the mess hall?”

Smiling, Tacita rolled her eyes affectionately, her eyes still closed. “The mess hall is...painfully busy for dinner right now, with all the other nation’s students here.”

“We’re also out of groceries, as I’ve been reminded.” Shina sighed dejectedly, leading to Chrystal grinning widely.

“Soooo I guess that means we’re going out?”

“If you ask me nicely.” Kylar glanced over at her and raised his eyebrows, sighing in exasperation when he got puppydog eyes and a pout in response.

“Please sugardaddy? We’ll pay you back.”

“Okay, first of all, no you won’t. You can’t. _Second_ of all...just...it…” Kylar’s face was entirely scrunched up in disturbed bewilderment. “No. Just, no. Nope. No.”

Giggling wildly and evilly, Chrystal nudged Tacita to get her attention. “I bet if _you_ call him that he’ll say yes.”

“If he asks me nicely to.” Tacita grinned back at her, getting a cackle in response.

“Starve.” Kylar deadpanned at them both, a tired look on his face. He held the expression up until the two girls immediately giggled again, before he sighed and rolled his eyes in amusement, looking up at heaven. “It’s nice to know what I’m valued for.”

“If it makes you feel better, Kylar.” Shina looked over at him. “I don’t value you for _that_ either.”

“Thank you, fearless leader. I feel inspired to defend you in combat against any foes. Let’s go find you some.”

Chrystal’s cackling continued for a few more seconds before she sobered up entirely and looked around at them all as they walked. “But seriously, we _are_ going out for dinner right?”

“You know, it’s not even six, we could just go and buy groceries. We need to do that anyway.” Kylar glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow.”

“...but seriously, we _are_ going out for dinner **_right_ **?” She narrowed her eyes, and bounced in celebration when he gave a tired nod.

As the other three continued bickering behind him, Shina smiled fondly to himself as they walked on, getting into gradually busier and busier hallways as they entered the dorm blocks, having to pass through where some of the other schools were staying. Every academy had sent their best teams to compete, and clearly there’d been a large selection, as it felt as if the dorms were filled to absolute capacity. Tacita wasn’t wrong about the mess hall being busy, it was _too_ busy, and it wouldn’t have been the first night the team had used the small kitchen in their dorm to cook up their own basic dinner. Despite the fact he knew he had to take their training and education and the Vytal preparations seriously, staying focused on them as the team leader, Shina couldn’t deny that there was something strange going on in Vale the past year. Both himself and Chrystal had bumped into trouble quite a few times during their nights out on the town, with Chrystal’s legendary luck leading them towards the most interesting events happening at any given time even if they tried to avoid them.

All four of them had been out together the night of the docks shootout, and had heard the explosions. It hadn't been a particularly long run to get there, though they’d made sure to watch from a distance since it had been pretty clear from the jump that the other students who had gotten themselves involved there had it handled.

It had been _very_ hard to stay up there, standing back, doing _nothing_. He’d been practically vibrating, it had felt wrong to just be a distant observer. But, looking back, he knew that if things for the other students had started to take a turn for the worse, they would have jumped in. While he’d been trying to practice restraint in the past year, he knew Kylar and Tacita well enough to know they wouldn’t have stayed back either if classmates were truly in any danger.

But at the time it had been agony.

Doing nothing felt wrong.

And doing _nothing_ , didn’t feel the same as showing _restraint_. Not right now.

Unlocking their dorm with his key, he stepped in and tossed his stuff down onto his bed, before quickly getting changed into casual clothes and turning to the others, each of them changing as well. “I’ll be back in an hour or so, I want to go try and talk to Professor Ozpin about something.”

“...you okay?” Chrystal frowned at him in concern, stepping over to him and reaching out to cup his face when he sighed and shook his head.

“Just unsure about something. Trust me, yeah?”

“Always. We can head out in about two hours? Gives us all time to cool down and chill out for a bit.” She gave him a small smile, giving him a short hug and then flopping herself down onto her bed.

He nodded, waving off the quiet and concerned looks from the other two. “I’m alright. Just...yeah. Something on my mind.”

“Sure. I’ll have the notes from Port’s class done by the time you’re back, and we can all go over them after dinner, yeah?” Kylar gave him a smile as he sat himself down at his desk, grabbing his laptop and notebooks out of his bag.

Tacita put her hand on Shina’s arm as he walked by, and she tilted her head at him with a soft smile. “I don’t believe we’re doing anything wrong with the decisions that we’ve been making, but...my heart and mind aren’t as attuned to each other as yours are. So whatever decision you end up making, I trust you.”

Blinking at her, but no longer truly surprised at her insight, Shina placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, giving her a reassuring smile. “...I guess I’ll get back to you on that. Back soon guys.”

Stepping out the dorm again, he closed it behind him and sighed, closing his eyes for a few moments and taking a few deep breaths before making his way towards the elevator that led up to Ozpin’s office, his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he walked at a relatively casual pace, looking ahead of himself but not really noticing much of what was around him as instead his thoughts were going in several different directions.

Shina was all too aware that he didn’t have Chrystal’s gut instincts, or Kylar’s intellect, or Tacita’s insight, but he knew he felt _something_ inside of himself rebelling at what was happening around them.

Everyone sort of knew things were going on. Their friends Team Bright knew, but were doing what everyone else was doing and simply ignoring it, choosing to gawk at the spectacles and ignore the rest.

Shina couldn’t blame them. The person he was a year ago would have been the exact same way, and Chrystal would be doing it right now if she wasn’t teamed up with him and the other two. But even Tacita had been even more jittery and unbalanced than normal, and Shina knew that Kylar was fighting to resist the urge to follow every curious scent his brain picked up in everything that was happening. But they had other things they _had_ to focus on. Studies, training, missions. They may have had a higher Grimm kill count than the next two ranking teams in their year _combined_ , but they still _paled_ in comparison to some of the teams in the year above them.

They were _students_. Good students, sure. Apparently. According to the Professors anyway.

But students nonetheless. They had hundreds of hours of field time, had killed _a lot_ of Grimm and had fought a couple of common thugs, but that was nothing compared to the training and learning he knew they should be focusing on.

But it was hard. Harder than he felt it should be.

The other three would trust his judgement and follow his lead, they always had.

It meant that he had to do everything in his power to make sure that his judgements were the right ones.

Reaching the elevator in the more quiet administration building, no crowds of students flooding about but still plenty of staff, he let out a deep breath and stepped inside, hitting the button for the headmaster’s office. The man had once told him that he was always welcome to come ask for advice if he ever found himself faltering and in need of it.

Shina hoped that the man had meant it.

The ride up the scarily tall clocktower was anxiety inducing in the wait, but Shina found himself calmed by the view out through the glass panes, able to see further and further out over the school and the city beyond. Heights had never bothered him, he’d grown up climbing around the cliffs with Chrystal, so he instead found a wave of soothing ease as he looked out at the view.

There were plenty of times when he missed his home.

But...he did love it here.

The elevator ground to a halt and dinged gently as the doors opened, and he stepped out, pausing for another moment before knocking on the office door itself.

A couple of moments passed before he heard Ozpin call out.

“Enter, enter.”

Swallowing for courage, he opened the door and stepped inside, blinking in surprise to see Professor Ozpin sitting at his desk with another man standing near it, currently seeming to be finishing a cup of coffee mid-pace back and forth across the large windows of the room.

“Ah, Mr Kamisari. What can I do for you?” Ozpin gave him a warm smile, though there was distracted concern in his eyes, clearly lingering remnants of whatever conversation Shina had interrupted.

“Sorry sir, I was hoping we could talk. I didn’t know this was a bad time.” Shina gave an apologetic smile and almost went to open the door again when the other man spoke, putting his empty mug down on the desk.

“No need to dart out, young man. The Professor and I had just finished speaking anyway.”

Ozpin stood and stepped around his desk as Shina slowly made his way over. “Mr Kamisari, this is General Ironwood, head of Atlas Academy. Don’t worry, you didn’t interrupt anything. General, this is Shina Kamisari, team leader of Team SKTC, just entering second year.”

“Team SKTC, hmm? The name’s familiar.” The general, a rather handsome man and powerfully built, yet also rather graceful despite his sheer mass, nodded at Shina and seemed to appraise him for a moment before offering his hand. “Yes, I place it now. I’ve been told on numerous occasions you’re one of the teams to look out for. Not here to discuss strategy I hope?”

Taking the General’s hand and relaxing slightly at the friendly smile the man gave him, Shina shook firmly and confidently, and smiled back respectfully. “I doubt any amount of strategy we could discuss could possibly prepare my team and I for anything Atlas might throw us up against, sir.”

“...quite the response, I see why you’re the leader. Your grip helps too.” The General chuckled in approval and let Shina’s hand go, stepping away to start making his way for the door, before glancing at Ozpin. “We have to make our decisions soon, Ozpin. One side is going to have to blink eventually.”

“I know, General. But, the harder we stare, the more likely we are to blink first.”

Waiting quietly as the two older men shared another long look before the General left with a final smile to Shina, Shina gave Ozpin an apologetic look.

“I really didn’t mean to intrude on anything, sir.”

“Nonsense, in all honesty you interrupted something that was going nowhere anyway. If you stop feeling bad for interrupting, I’ll stop feeling bad for being _glad_ you interrupted, a fair trade? Now, tea or coffee?” Ozpin gave Shina a conspiratorial smile, a glimmer in his eye, as he gestured to one of the chairs across from his desk.

“Coffee thank you, sir. Really never developed a taste for it until I came here, but now...”

“I’ve been told I’ve had that influence before.” Ozpin chuckled as he poured two cups and handed one to Shina, sliding across a tray of milk and sugar. “I suppose the school stress doesn’t help.”

“Whichever one did it, I’m not complaining anymore.” Shina grinned as he finished adding his sugars.

“Though I suppose a driving influence for you may be the late nights out in the city that end at three in the morning.”

Pausing in his sip, Shina looked away guilty and lowered his cup back down to the desk, sighing. “...probably.”

“Yet because Ms Wasara is not also with you, you’re clearly not here purely about what is driving you both out into the night more and more often. Though I hope you’ll come speak to me about that if things grow to a breaking point. So, what may I do for you?”

Staying quiet for a few moments as he realised he’d completely forgotten to word what he even wanted to ask, Shina looked down at his cup and swirled it gently. The times he had spoken with the headmaster were incredibly rare, and the times it had just been him and not him with either Chrystal or his full team had been a grand total of twice before now.  
Yet Ozpin seemed perfectly content to let him sit and word his thoughts, not a single flicker of impatience or irritation on the man’s face as he sipped his own coffee and waited.  
As he was trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to ask, something the General had said popped back into his head and he blinked, looking up at the headmaster.

“Professor, how _did_ the General know who we were? Who would have told him which teams to keep any sort of eye on?”

“- _I-_ did, of course. And the other professors all have their own opinions of which teams have the best chances and aptitudes for the tournament.” Ozpin chuckled and folded his hands on his desk, smiling slightly at Shina’s confused wide eyes. “Does that surprise you? Are adults not allowed to gossip?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s…”

Shina trailed off, unsure of how to say what he wanted to say, and after a few moments struggling with how to word it he simply deflated and slumped. Watching him for a moment, Ozpin nodded in understanding, but still waited for Shina to find his thoughts and come to his own words, before tilting his head when Shina clearly decided on a different train of thought.

After a few moments, Shina sighed and looked up at Ozpin again, seeming to come to some sort of decision. “The four of us were at the docks the night of the shootout.”

“Oh?”

“We’d just been out for dinner, and were walking it off since we had the next day off, and...gave into curiosity when we heard some airships. We...saw pretty much the whole thing..”

“Indeed.” Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, nodding as if surprised but also pleased. “I _had_ supposed it was unlikely no-one else had seen it.”

“...what I want to know sir...what I sorta...need help with…” Shina winced, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Is if you should have done something?”

Biting the inside of his lip, Shina took in a breath. The professor was looking at him with calm and gentle eyes, an infinitely patient expression, and while Shina didn’t have Tacita’s brilliance at it he _was_ still pretty good at knowing when someone was lying or faking, so he was willing to believe the professor was genuinely being patient and understanding. He wasn’t really surprised that the professor had jumped to the end of what he’d been thinking. The headmaster had a gift for it.  
Ozpin took another sip of his coffee before putting the cup down and sliding it away from himself slightly, making it clear he wasn’t going to be distracted by it for a while. Folding his hands together on his desk again, the man gave Shina a soft smile.

“That indecision and insecurity you’re likely feeling is something that anyone would be feeling if they were in your position, even civilians. It is our nature to want to intervene and put ourselves in between trouble and people we think should be protected. And the drive to stop wrongs being done? That is from just as deep within us. Do you feel like you betrayed it by doing nothing?”

Shina hesitated for a few moments before nodding, but despite the urge he didn’t break eye contact by looking away. “Standing up on the roof with the others...all my life people have told me off for being reckless, and every ounce of that same energy was screaming inside me that night, but I held back. We _stood_ there. I thought I was showing restraint, but...it didn’t feel like that. It felt like...complacency. I’ve...got no idea where the line is, but as a leader shouldn’t I know?”

He was surprised when Ozpin chuckled, at first only lightly but then a chuckle as if deeply amused by a thousand things wrapped up in one, yet there was no mocking or judgement in the sound. The professor smiled.

“You are stumbling upon a question that many leaders take too long to ask until they are much older. You’re worried that by holding back that night, you were allowing bad things to happen. Allowing wrong to be done. But, you saw that the others were there. That the wrong was being fought. If they hadn’t been, if you had stumbled across it on your own, would you have stayed out of it?”

“...probably not…” Shina mumbled, shaking his head.

“Then it certainly wasn’t complacency-”

“We would have _helped_ if we’d gone down there, though. They were outnumbered.”

“Indeed they were, and indeed you would have. Yes, you held back, but from a situation you would have taken it upon yourselves to try and stop if no-one else had been there to do it. So not complacency, and not cowardice. You made a decision that went against your personal nature, because it was the decision with the greatest benefit to the majority. Your team was kept out of danger from a situation you didn’t have full information about, in reserve, and almost certainly going to jump in if you felt you needed to. You have grown marvelously as a leader, Shina.”

“Am I still right for continuing to make that decision though? It doesn’t _feel_ right anymore.” Shina sighed, looking down at the floor and clenching his jaw, before blinking at Ozpin’s voice.

“Oh? And what are you holding back from currently?”

Ozpin’s voice wasn’t accusational, or hostile, yet Shina could hear a particular tone of sharpness to it, an attentiveness, but instead of being intimidated by it Shina found himself strangely focused.

Tapping his foot in thought, he looked up, his eyes heavy and concerned, and Ozpin thinned his lips at the tired look on the boy’s face. Out of all the students of Beacon, Shina Kamisari was one of the most lively, in a wide myriad of ways. Alongside his partner Chrystal, the pair were a firestorm that seemed determined to create light but leave no ruin. Yet he knew that young Chrystal was suffering, though she would improve again soon, meanwhile the Shina in front of him looked weighed down and deeply tired.  
It was a look that Ozpin knew well, and was growing all too familiar with again lately.

“I know something’s happening in Vale, Professor. Most people can feel it, but everyone’s just ignoring it.” Shina spoke quietly, his voice detached as he was still in thought.

“But, you and your team are having trouble doing so.” Ozpin softened his voice again, and he tilted his head.

“I’m trying to help us to. To focus on the things in front of us; studying, training, the tournament. And I’m trying to reassure myself that it’s restraint. Focus. That it’s what I’m _meant_ to be doing. But my team wants to poke our noses in, to get involved in...whatever it is that’s happening, because it’s clearly big and people are _already_ getting hurt. And I’m stopping us.”

Watching quietly for a few moments, Ozpin sat back in his chair slightly, and readjusted in his position. Team Sketch had incredible potential, both as a team but also for the individuals _within_ that team. When they graduated, Ozpin had every faith that they would be an incredible force for good and force for change, but...that depended on them being able to graduate at all.

Thinking back to his own conversations with General Ironwood that they’d been having on a regular basis since the man had arrived in Beacon, Ozpin internally frowned in thought as he considered Shina in front of him, and considered the rest of his team as well.

Team SKTC were already a difficult match for any other team in the school, and Shina himself was a shoe-in for the tournament finals alongside Pyrrha Nikos.

And they wanted to join the fight, when most young students only ever wanted to put it off.  
Give it another couple of years, and Ozpin wagered they might not get a choice in the matter but to fight, but for now at least...

“The four of you are an incredible team, Shina. And when you all step out of this school the world will become a noticeably safer place for having you out protecting it. I won’t lie to you by claiming that things are just as peaceful as they seem, but I can assure you that this particular battle is already being fought, and that your own will come. One day, the four of you will have your turn, and darkness will have to try its luck against _you_ and I believe I will sleep very well on that day. But until then, your priority is to learn, and to train, and to grow. To become _ready_ for when that day comes, not to rush towards it. You have time. Do try and use it.”

Frowning in thought as he listened, Shina quietly finished off his now cold cup of coffee and placed the empty cup back down onto the desk, and he nodded slowly and thoughtfully. “Thank you sir. That’s...it’s reassuring.”

Ozpin nodded, and Shina took it as a dismissal, standing with a grateful smile and starting to make his way to the door before being stopped at the professor’s voice.

“But if a moment _does_ come where you are faced with the dark and can no longer force yourself to be restrained, then remember that ultimately destiny might just be in your hands, and I also pity whichever force it is that decided to be the one to bring Team Sketch out onto the field prematurely.”

“...thank you sir. And thank you for your time.” Shina gave the professor a more genuine smile, and left, closing the office door behind him, before blinking in surprise when he saw Chrystal leaning against the wall near the lift, dozing while standing with her arms folded.

When he got closer to her, she opened an eye and gave him a smile, bouncing off the wall and making her way over to him.

“How’d it go?”

“It helped. Did you overhear?”

“I made sure not to.” She pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly and closely. “Whatever it was, you know we’re all here for you, yeah? I’m here.”

“I know Chrysalis.” He hugged her back, squeezing her for a few moments before letting go and hitting the elevator button to call it. “So...what brings you here? Where are the others?”

Chrystal let out a huff and rolled her eyes. “Well, you left and we all clearly had a couple of hours to kill, so after they finished fixing up the notes from class Kylar and Tacita asked for some _privacy_ , and I had nothing else to do.”

“Ah. I see. How long ago was that?”

“Fifteen minutes maybe?” Chrystal shrugged.

“Then we _definitely_ can’t go back yet. I’d rather die. But that also means we can’t go and grab any stuff to _do_ anything.”

“I mean, I swiped Kylar’s card from the bench on my way out?”

“...well we _were_ planning on going out for dinner anyway. I’m peckish, you peckish?”

“Ravenous. We’ll make sure to grab them some groceries for their dinner on the way back.” Chrystal hummed in content amusement as they both stepped in, and she hit the ground floor button

As the elevator doors closed and began to take the teammates back downstairs, and the sound of their voices faded, Ozpin chuckled in fond amusement before turning to face the windows looking out over the school and the city beyond, taking his glasses off and cleaning them absently as he thought.  
If things in the coming days went wrong, then it was a reassurance to know that his school had plenty of young warriors wanting to make the world right.

He just hoped that they’d be ready in time.

_+=+=+_

A fortnight later at breakfast, the four of them sat in the mess hall eating quietly while looking over notes that Professor Port had given Shina and Chrystal, the two of them having swung in on their way out to dinner to enlist in the excursions program again, and receiving a mission only a handful of days later. It wasn’t anything particularly complicated, just some recon to monitor reports of increased Grimm activity;  
Head out, get a general count of Grimm numbers and variations and points of concentration, then head back to deliver the information to the administration for them to analyse and coordinate with. That was it, a straight in-and-out.  
Easy as anything, they’d done it a few dozen times before, the school having apparently decided it was their specialty. They didn’t mind, it meant a night out of school camping and getting away with a moderate amount of relaxing while outside of school grounds.

While they used to get in trouble for being so lighthearted on missions, Kylar had ended up making the argument that if they took the mission too seriously and their moods dropped it would only distract the Grimm whose natural movements they were meant to be tracking, making the information useless.  
Stunningly, the argument had worked, and the faculty had laid off their back about it, as long as they got the missions done.

And they always did.

In exchange they got credit for their grades, and even a small payout. Not as much as a fully-licensed Huntsmen team would get, but it would be nice to add to their team savings regardless. While Kylar was happy to pay most of the general expenses of the team, they’d been building their own little nest egg over the year, and every mission helped.  
Shina frowned as he looked at basic overhead information on the area. Increased Grimm activity in South-East Beta through Delta, which was most of Quadrant 5. A wide stretch of city ruins on the edge of the Mountain Glenn district. It was dangerous terrain to travel but easy to navigate, considering they had access to the old original street maps of the layout.

Across from him, Kylar was making notes on his own copy of the map that he had requested, noting down points of interest and their points to focus attention. They were heading out at the first bell and their assigned mission duration was thirty-six hours with room for extension. The prospect of getting out of the school grounds had Tacita and Chrystal in good moods, the two of them cheerfully looking over their own dossiers.  
Sitting back in his chair, Shina folded his map and slid it back into the folder, frowning. He glanced up at Kylar. “Strange for beowulf packs to be moving so much in Quadrant 5, they’re normally closer to the forests. Something would have had to have drawn them in.”

“Well, movement _has_ increased since Atlas arrived, go figure.” Kylar nodded in agreement, pushing his annotated map forward and pointing to some circled areas. “If we can track their movements we can get a general idea of which direction specifically they’re being pulled towards, and work from there.”

“Sure. I’m thinking of splitting up. Tacita and I will handle noting the Grimm varieties and numbers, meanwhile you and Chrystal track their movements. You’ve got the best brains for that sort of stuff anyway.”

Speaking up from next to Shina, Chrystal nodded and swallowed a mouthful of toast, sliding her own dossier over slightly and pointing to a paragraph she’d circled. “Cool, it’ll be faster that way. Did you see there have been Goliath tracks found in Echo as well? That’s close by. _Way_ closer than we’ve seen before.”

“...what the fuck would draw Goliaths in that far? The closest herds are normally _way_ further out, in the plains.” Kylar frowned, spinning the page around to face him and scanning what Chrystal had circled and highlighted.

Humming into her breakfast, Tacita watched and listened in, but didn’t particularly feel like she had anything to add. Logistics weren’t her strong suit, but she knew she'd be in her element once they were out there. In the meantime she was content trying not to get overwhelmed by the noise and activity in the mess hall, which was practically full which it never was whilever it was just Beacon students in attendance. There were plenty of interesting characters visiting from the other Kingdoms, with interesting traits and habits, and most of them stuck out to her as if they were waving their arms to get attention, so she couldn’t help but snoop on them a little bit as she ate her breakfast. It was good training for her Semblance anyway, even if it was tiring.  
But she’d be back to form by the time they left.

Seeing someone coming towards them from the table behind her, she gave a friendly smile as she looked over her shoulder. “Hey Pyrrha, good morning.”

“Oh! Good morning Tacita! I hate to interrupt. Oh, prepping for a mission today?” The red-haired warrior gave a friendly smile and wave as she approached, getting welcome smiles from the rest of Sketch as they all looked at her, though Kylar’s attention didn’t truly break away from his notes.

“Recon out in Quadrant 5, sectors Beta through Delta. Just looking at some Grimm movements. It’ll be nice to go out into the quiet. How you going?” Shina smiled, and Pyrrha gave an interested nod before folding her hands behind her back politely.

“I’m well! No missions for us at the moment, Jaune’s a bit too far behind on homework and training is stepping up! Though I _hear_ you four know all that all too well.” She gave a conspiring grin and shrug at Shina, raising a challenging eyebrow at him before her face returned to a friendly smile. “That’s what I was wondering about, actually. I was wondering if you would mind joining me for some training soon Shina, I need a partner. As many partners as possible, truth be told.”

“Oh Professor Goodwitch would hate that.” Shina laughed, pondering for a moment before giving an enthusiastic nod. “But, I think she might finally relent if we tell her it’s tournament training. I’d love to. It’s been a while since I’ve had a challenge.”

Chrystal scoffed and shoved into him with her shoulder in offense from next to him, shooting him a glare, before smiling sweetly at Pyrrha. “I don’t suppose you’d mind if I joined as well? It’s been a while since we’ve had a go at it too.”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan! Thank you so much.” Pyrrha gave a wide smile to her and nodded happily, before glancing over at their mission notes and stepping slightly closer, tilting her head in a concerned and intrigued frown as she scanned the brief notes she could see and hummed in thought, Sketch willingly letting her do so.  
Pyrrha Nikos was unquestionably the best in their year, and not just in combat. Her instincts were sharp, her mind analytical, and her morale so steadfast she was always willing to consider any solution no matter how difficult.  
Not having a great many friends it somehow seemed, Pyrrha had always gotten along well with Shina, seeming to find him almost a kindred spirit in a few ways and not just simply liking him as a challenge in the arena, and the pair always had good words for each other.

While initially being a tad suspicious about it back around the start of their first year, Chrystal had grown to trust her intentions, and then grown...fond of her. But, she had been relieved when her brief crush on the girl had _gradually_ faded after only a couple of months of watching the girl pine after her own team leader. Yet the occasional butterfly persisted.

Raising her eyebrows in request before taking another step closer, Pyrrha gave an appreciative smile as Tacita shuffled to the side to clear the girl room to rest a knee on the bench and scan the notes on the table, muttering to herself as she flipped through the pages.

She gave a hum of concern.

“That’s very peculiar, Goliath’s haven’t left the deeper forest in years, haven’t they?”

“They haven’t, no.” Chrystal shook her head, offering Pyrrha some bacon which the girl politely took a rasher of to chew on.

Humming in thought, Pyrrha tapped her fingers on the table while her other hand traced a few paths along the street map. She looked to Shina as team leader. “I’ll have to ask Jaune of course, but I think Juniper can spare a day or two if you’d like the back-up. Extra eyes means covering more ground.”

“It’s alright.” Shina smiled gratefully. “We know the terrain, we can cover it fast enough.”

“When do you leave?”

“Sign-in is at eight forty-five, dispatch is at nine.”

“Long day for you then. Well, if you change your mind in the next half hour, just let us know! We’d be happy to help.” Pyrrha stood back up and gave them all a confident smile and a nod, placing her hand on Tacita’s shoulder for a moment and looking around at each of them. “But if not, good luck out there all of you. We’ll plan some training once you’re back?”

“Thanks Pyrrha, sounds like a plan.” Shina smiled back, and the girl waved as she made her way back to her table.

Watching the girl walk away, Chrystal was tapping her fingers on the table as she held a slice of toast near her mouth but hadn’t yet taken a bite out of it. “That girl is still suspiciously friendly.”

“I find it rather refreshing.” Tacita hummed happily as she went back to her breakfast, finishing up and pushing her plate away, also flipping her dossier closed. “I’m still amazed she isn’t the team leader.”

“Well, Professor Ozpin clearly sees something in the Jaune guy, and he was right about Shina and Boral.” Chrystal shrugged, before mumbling under her breath as she looked down to finish her own breakfast. “Still not sure what _Pyrrha_ sees in Jaune though.”

“And here I thought you were over that.” Shina gave her a teasing grin, Chrystal giving a dismissive shrug in response as she finally bit her toast.

“Emotionally? S-sure. Doesn’t mean I’m not still a bit...competitive. Wouldn’t mind an appreciative glance or two.”

“Pretty sure she’s straight.” Tacita hummed in thought as she tilted her head, thinking back over the past year of observations, and she nodded in confirmation. “Yep, definitely straight.”

“...well that’s...boring.” Crystal scowled, finishing her breakfast and resting her elbows on the table, her chin in her hands as she closed her eyes to rest them tiredly, herself and Shina having stayed out late again the previous night.

Nudging her apologetically, and slightly amusedly, Shina smiled at her before closing his own files and sliding them into his bag. “Alright, we’ve got half an hour, take a last bite and then we’ve got final prep to do. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to fight Grimm in a sweater and trousers.”

“I don’t fancy climbing around in a skirt either.” Chrystal snorted, glaring down at the offending article of clothing. God she hated skirts and dresses. Anything that left her legs bare. It felt wrong and uncomfortable and made climbing a bitch. Why it was a mandatory uniform for a combat school was _beyond_ her understanding.

“You’d wear one if Pyrrha came along.” Shina sing-songed as he stood, skipping out of the way as Chrystal tried to stab him with a fork, lurching towards him aggressively to do so with a glare.

Grinning at her, Shina led the way out of the mess hall as the others fell in behind him.

The four of them were more than comfortable enough with each other to change in the same room, it saved time and there was no point in modesty in a battlefield situation, so might as well stay used to it. So they changed quickly, each of them getting into their actual combat gear, not just training clothes like they wore at the gym. Each of them had developed their own unique styles for their outfits, and the tailors and armourers in Vale had been more than able to add their improvements to the basic designs they’d each already had upon arriving at Beacon.

While originally Kylar and Tacita had worn splashes of colour, with Kylar wearing traditional reds and greens of his family crest, and Tacita loving navy blues and blacks, Chrystal and Shina had both worn dark brown and dark grey to blend in with the environment they grew up in. But since then, all four of them had adopted white and black.

They were Team Sketch, so that meant white parchment and canvass, and black for ink. And while it had taken some getting used to, eventually they’d each grown to love what they’d individually done with it.

Though each of them _did_ still keep some trim of their original colours, but not a great deal.

Kylar and Shina were the only two who wore any actual solid armour plating, none of the team were heavily armoured since they each had more agile styles. In fact Chrystal didn’t really wear thick armour at all, instead simply having black leathers with white trim and lining, perfectly fitted for her unnaturally aerial and acrobatic style of combat. Tacita was similar, since she spent a lot of time maneuvering around to find the best angles, and needing the agility and lightness in order to aim easily, the only serious difference from Chrystal’s getup being her black coat with white lining and navy blue trim, and white swirls stitched into the back.

Shina and Kylar were plated black, being the ones most likely to attract the attention of Grimm and the ones delegated to _keep_ the attention of Grimm, each plate ringed with white metal.

The main features of everyone's outfits were their weapons. While Chrystal’s Obscuri Tempest swords were already black and her guns already bone white, fitting in with the theme, Shina’s Hornet’s Kiss was gold and silver, and shimmered under light. Kylar’s Myriadisca was a rich dark brown, the metal features of it treated to be ruby red, and Tacita’s Penumbral Ethos was a chromatic blue and purple, her arrows fletched with white feathers.

They didn’t pack much, didn’t really need to, merely some rations and a blanket for Tacita and Kylar. Chrystal and Shina had a lot of experience sleeping rough from their childhood camping trips and adventures, so they were fine sleeping on concrete or in the branches of trees. It meant they were able to travel light, and if they _really_ needed to they could call in an airdrop of emergency supplies, but for a one-night mission that wouldn’t be necessary.

Each of them finishing their preparations quietly, they gave each other a nod and did a final check, Shina tightening some of Kylar’s straps on his armour, noting that it needed some maintenance as the straps were loosening slightly on their own from wear and tear, and they headed out, locking their dorm room door behind them.

Heading through the halls, plenty of students figured out what was happening as they looked at them, and they got plenty of encouraging and confident looks and nods from casual acquaintances and friends, and slightly intimidated and intrigued looks from the students of other academies.

Exiting out into the quad, they made their way to the airpads, knowing that a jet was already waiting for them. They were early, so there was no real rush, not due to sign-in for another ten minutes, letting them take the walk slowly and enjoy the early morning breeze, the sun not high enough in the sky to remove the shadow cast by the tower over the quad, Shina folding his hands behind his head and stretching. Tacita almost faltered for a moment as he saw three students from Mistral behind them staring at them intently from the other side of the quad, and without turning her head she glanced them up and down quickly and frowned, something not being quite right about the dark-haired girl who stood in the center, and the silver-haired boy had strange metal legs she could faintly hear the gears of when she focused on him.

Filing the information away for later, she raised her eyebrows in a small shrug as she dismissed the thought, the four of them walking far enough away she was out of range to keep an eye on them any longer.

Her range was increasing slowly, her passive range being out to around two-hundred meters, and her hearing was able to reach that range as well, able to listen to whispers from that distance if she focused. But if she raised her aura and _truly_ concentrated she could force her range to be further, but it was _extremely_ exhausting and painful to do so, often overwhelming her to the point of unconsciousness. They were working on it, they were _all_ working on their Semblances, but hers was one that could only be strengthened from use, like a muscle. Meanwhile Kylar’s was a matter of intense focus and just sheer intellect, Shina’s was a matter of pure force of will to control it and filter it, and Chrystal’s...they weren’t sure how to help hers yet, but she was getting better at using it at its current level.

Reaching the landing pads with plenty of time to spare, they headed over to the registration center to sign-in so that their departure onto a mission was known, and scanned their student licenses to register.

The doors to the small building opened behind them, and Tacita gave a smile as she turned to face as Team Cold walked in, dressed for their own mission.

“Morning Sketch, more recon?” Ursa gave a raised eyebrow and a smile, stepping around Tacita to scan her own pass.

“Grimm movement near Mountain Glenn, sector Beta.” Shina nodded, stepping back with the others to let Cold through.

“Ugh, I hate the ruins.” Ursa wrinkled her nose, before giving an encouraging smile. “We’re headed out for the caves in Quadrant 4 Echo, some sort of cave-in, they need Lelise and Cypher in order to even get into the damn thing.”

At that, the permanently silent Cypher, who had still been chosen as their team leader, gave a smile and a wave, meanwhile the lightly armoured Lelise gave a wink, and the fourth member of their team, the perpetually morose Delilah, merely nodded politely but otherwise said nothing, her arms crossed after scanning her student license.

Lelise glanced the four of them up and down and let out a low whistle as she took in Tacita’s new armour. “Got yourself an upgrade, looking good hon, finally plating those legs of yours. Got tired of them getting kicked in spars?”

“I did. Also it all feels a bit more complete now.” Tacita gave a smile, a little bit detached from the conversation but still managing to be polite. Perpetually put off by the strange demeanour Tacita radiated, Lelise raised an eyebrow again and shrugged.

Still with a free five minutes, Shina leant against the nearby counter and crossed his arms, addressing Ursa. “You guys competing in the tournament? Haven’t heard any word about you in it.”

“Eh we’re not sure yet.” Ursa shrugged, walking over to stand near him to chat. “Honestly we’re pretty uncomfortable with Atlas here in general, so there’s every chance we’ll skip the Festival entirely and have a few relaxing nights in.”

Chrystal pouted as she scanned in and made her way over.

“Aww, not even coming for _our_ matches?”

“I promise to watch on tv.” Ursa stuck her tongue out the corner of her mouth with a wink, with Chrystal sticking her own tongue out in response.

“Lazy fuck, watching on tv when the arena will be right above your head.”

“Yes but my room lets me watch in bed.”

They all knew that Ursa was joking, while Team Sketch and Team Cold weren’t exactly best friends they’d gone on missions together in the past, _and_ Chrystal and Cypher had briefly had a _thing_ , with the two teams being on friendly terms ever since. Team Cold _would_ be there to watch their matches, even if just to support Beacon. Ursa was about as patriotic as a person could get, it was almost unnerving.  
The monitor above the counter that showed the status of the landing pads blipped to indicate that it was time for Sketch to board, and Ursa clapped Shina on the shoulder. “Good luck out there, I’ve heard bad things about Quadrant 5 recently.”

“You too, I’ve been in those caves before, weird shit lives down there, and be careful of the dust.” Shina nodded, grabbing Ursa’s shoulder in return for a moment before stepping away.

With team leader Cypher being mute, Ursa was unofficially the team spokesperson, her Semblance helping her to say what her leader was feeling by being able to feel it herself, her Semblance allowing Ursa to tune into someone's thoughts and feelings and feel them all personally. It certainly helped Cold communicate. Lelise and Delilah nodded encouragingly at them as Sketch walked past, with Cypher gently taking Chrystal’s hand for a moment to give it a squeeze, the two girls giving each other soft and reassuring looks as Chrystal made her way past, squeezing Cypher’s hand back before letting go.

Reaching the airpad, Professor Firenei was waiting for them, her arms crossed and her red hair blowing wildly in the wind from the airjet rotors which had begun to spin, being the professor typically in charge of supervising and managing student’s missions. While normally first-year teams would have a professor go with them to supervise and keep an eye on them on missions, Sketch had passed the minimum field hours required to be authorised to go out alone even before their first-year had ended, and Firenei beckoned them over as they approached the airjet which was beginning to fire up, the rotors creating a noise which always threatened to make Tacita pass out from the volume of it to her sensitive ears.

“Alright Team Sketch, you got your packets a few days ago and I assume you’ve got them memorised. You’re out for thirty-six hours with permission to request a _maximum_ of an extra twenty-four if you think it vital. Radio frequency 18A is free for mission chatter, so that’s where you send your updates from. Got it?”

“Channel 18A, copy.” Shina nodded as the four of them quickly grabbed their scrolls and changed their reception onto the appropriate channel, Shina looking back up at the professor immediately afterwards.

“Good. You have permission to engage hostiles if confronted, independent command is authorised so _you_ have authority to decide Team Leader Kamisari, but this is primarily recon and data collection. Any questions?”

“Any other teams deployed in the nearby area?” Shina gestured to the others to board the airjet, and they each did so, hopping up but still able to listen to the conversation.

“Another recon team in Foxtrot, but they’re due to pull out in six hours, and an Extermination mission has two teams deployed in Hotel but they’re far out of range to be of consequence.”

“Copy that, does my authority cover being able to decide to deviate from the mission to assist other teams if we hear trouble?”

“You’ve got full field command, Shina. Professor Ozpin’s willing to give you guys your first shot at full independence with this, so it’s in your hands.” Professor Firenei broke her professional composure for a moment to give Shina an encouraging and confident smile, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder. She’d been out with Sketch plenty of times, and she knew them well. “You’ll do fine, Shina. I agreed with him on this, and both Professor Ozpin and I _fully_ believe you’re ready. Alright, you’re out in one minute, good luck out there. Any last questions?”

“If we do well, does the credit make up for me failing your last test?” Chrystal shouted out from the jet, having to shout to get over the roar of the engines as Shina hopped up next to her. 

Firenei shot her a tired and withering look that turned into a smile, unable to hide her fondness for the chaotic girl who reminded her far too much of herself when she was younger.

“Yes, Ms Wasara. That’s acceptable. Alright Team SKTC, good luck.”

Giving Professor Firenei a last nod and half-wave-half-salute, Shina hit the button on the side of the door to slide it closed and tapped the pilot on the shoulder, getting a smile and nod from the man as they lifted off to head out to the deployment area.


	3. Day One of Quadrant 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touching down in Quadrant 5 for their first independant mission, Team SKTC try not to think too much into why they're out there in the first place.

With the doors closed it was far quieter inside the airjet, and while Chrystal and Kylar relaxed, Tacita instead made sure to keep an eye out the windows, her bow drawn just in case of trouble.  The pilot, a man named Rein who had flown for them plenty of times in the past, looked over his shoulder and nodded at Shina, giving him a reassuring look. 

“You’re ready for this, Team Leader. You guys are the best field-agents in your year.”

“I wouldn’t go  _ that  _ far.” Shina smiled in gratitude for the compliment and reassurance, before continuing to look out at the sky ahead and the ground below, which was gradually turning from thriving city into the ruins that had been taken by the Grimm years ago.

“You’ll catch up to the third-years in no time. Though a few of them are going to be tough acts to follow, but if anyone can do it you guys can.” Rein gave Shina a thumbs up, but made sure to keep facing ahead this time as he checked the GPS and flight information. “Okay, ten minutes out, time for your final checks.”

“Got it.” Shina patted him on the shoulder warmly before stepping back, giving a nod to everyone else for them to go through their gear one last time to make sure they had everything.

Once the airjet doors opened, that was it, they were deployed and there was no turning back unless they requested early extraction, which was an automatic mission failure unless it was a medical emergency or their mission objectives had been achieved early.

As Shina adjusted his own gear, doing last checks on his armour and tightening his gloves and harness, he bit the inside of his cheek and took a deep breath to let out slowly. Wearing a confident face, he was internally terrified. This was their first mission without mission control actively chattering into their ears at all time, guiding his decisions and covering his back if he made small slips.  
While they’d been granted more and more independence as the months had gone by and they’d determinedly taken as much field time as possible, each stage was a test of how ready they were, and to suddenly be given full field control and autonomy was a  _ daunting  _ test of their skill and aptitude. Whatever Firenei and Ozpin had talked about in regards to them (because he  _ knew  _ that Firenei would have needed to go to Ozpin directly to get a second-year team a go at field autonomy) the conversation must have been one hell of a compelling and interesting one.

But as Shina slowly put his mind into mission mode, sealing away those sorts of worries and instead allowing his brain to only be focusing on the mission information and his sense of judgement, he looked over his teammates who each looked nervous and excited as well, even Kylar was showing nerves.

Even though Shina was the team leader given field command, this was a test for each of them as well, testing their field judgement and ability to act independently from mission control as a cohesive unit. Their teamwork, their individual choices, their instincts, each was being judged in this. The more intact they came back and the more successful, the more authority and trust they’d be given.

Despite his reputation as academically inept (which was sadly mostly true), Shina had done his best to slug through every book and textbook he could find in the library about the process of promotion for a team leader, and the official stages of a team’s development during training. Thankfully most of those books had an audiobook form, which meant he didn’t have to struggle over letters that made no sense.

If they succeeded at this, they’d be achieving a rank of training that many third and fourth years didn’t achieve until the end of their fourth and final year. While Sketch  _ were  _ behind in academic rankings despite Kylar’s efforts, and only Shina and Chrystal kept them above average in combat training due to Tacita’s and Kylar’s shortcomings in single combat, they were  _ leagues  _ above the other teams when it came to field experience and  _ that mattered  _ more than Shina wagered anyone else knew, because  _ he  _ was the one who had slogged through the right textbooks and official licensing codes.

God that had sucked, but he’d listened to them over and over again until even  _ he  _ memorised most of them. The decision to finally be a good leader had meant a lot of work, and he knew he had barely started.

This was one hell of a test, but worrying about what Ozpin and Firenei had spoken about had to wait until later, as each member of his team gave him the thumbs up to show they were combat ready and had all their gear.  
Nodding to them, Shina stood near the door button for the next two minutes until the airjet slowed and descended just enough they had a jump down onto a nearby rooftop, but high enough that the ground Grimm wouldn’t pick up on their emotions, Rein gave them the thumbs up as the green light above their heads lit, and Shina took a deep breath before hitting the door button. His team deployed one by one, dropping down into the city ruins below without hesitation or anything except focused faces, each of them in the same mindset he was.  
Dropping down, the city streets and rooftop approaching quickly in his fall, he watched with satisfied confirmation as one by one the other three landed safely on the rooftop, and he activated the first two cuts of his Semblance an instant before he hit, the boost to his durability for simply helping him take the impact as he dropped into a roll, immediately disabling his semblance to conserve aura as the momentum vanished and he was safe from harm.  
Waving off the airjet, the four waited until the air was entirely quiet again before looking at each other, Kylar grabbing his noted map from his pouch and opening it, immediately finding the rooftop they were on top of and laying that section of the map down flat, Shina kneeling down next to him while Tacita stood in the center of the roof with her bow drawn, focusing on their three-hundred-and-sixty degrees surroundings to make sure nothing would sneak up on them.

For her own part, Chrystal kept an eye on the stairwell, her guns drawn and loaded.

“Okay, we have thirty-six hours to scout out...uhh…” Kylar traced his fingers along their marked territory and positions on the map. “A lot of ground. What are you thinking, Shina? You mentioned something about splitting up?”

Shina nodded, pointing at a few different spots on the map. “We aren’t just tracking movements, we’re noting down population numbers and variations that are present. Tacita is best suited for that sort of surveillance, and I’m able to cover her back. It also means that if you and Chrystal need help, the two of us can find you easier with her Semblance. You two are able to move reasonably fast, and I want you tracking movements and recording patterns.”

“Got it. Any priorities?”

“Larger Grimm. Ignore beowolfs and boarbatusks, they’re erratic anyway and there are just going to be so many of them that you’d be going on circles, so focus on larger Grimm.”

“Understood.” Kylar nodded, looking over at Chrystal who nodded as well, still focusing on keeping watch but listening in.

“We meet up every six hours during daylight, and we  _ don’t  _ spend any time at night split up. We’ll spend tonight at this hotel.” Shina pointed to a building on the map that was in the centre of their mission zone. “Meet there at 1900 hours.”

Kylar nodded and rolled up his map, standing and putting it back into his pouch before taking his staff from his shoulder to hold it combat ready. “Good luck you two, don’t do anything reckless.”

“You too. Don’t engage anything that  _ is  _ large, and if there’s anything in the sky you  _ get into cover _ . The moment we’re discovered, half our intel is garbage, let’s put that off as long as we can.” Shina placed his hand on Kylar’s shoulder and gave him a nod, before walking over and pulling Chrystal into a hug.

Stepping out of the hug after squeezing Shina back a few moments, Chrystal gestured with her head to Kylar for him to follow her, and they vanished down the stairwell.

Tacita looked to Shina and gave him a determined smile. “This is going to be a tiring day for me, you got my back?”

“Every moment for the rest of our lives.” Shina gave her a fierce and determined look as he pulled Hornet’s Kiss from his back.

Giving each other a confident look, they jogged their way over to the edge of the roof and hopped to the next building, heading towards where reports said the sightings were most concentrated.

Time to work.

+=+=+

It was early evening by the time Kylar and Chrystal found the exact pattern of tracks they’d been looking for and marked it down on their map to continue to follow the next day. They began to head towards the rendezvous point at the hotel, starting to have trouble avoiding the Grimm that were wandering the area in large enough numbers they had been giving each other concerned looks the entire day.  
They wouldn’t have a true idea of how many species were present until they met up with Shina and Tacita and compared notes, but even from the ones they’d seen there were a couple that had no business being this close to Vale, normally making their homes in the forest, or even on the plains even further away than that.  
The reports on Goliaths had been accurate, they’d found those tracks easily enough, and while there weren’t  _ many  _ of them in the area it meant that whatever energy was bringing them in was spreading a terrifyingly large distance. Shina had told them to pay attention to anything bigger than an Ursa.  
...there were plenty of things bigger than an Ursa in the area. Plenty.

And it didn’t make any sense.

Mulling to herself as she skipped over rubble while making her way through the ruined third floor of a building, Kylar behind her as they kept out of sight of Grimm by scrambling through the ruins instead of taking the streets, Chrystal looked up at the hotel in the distance where they were heading, and thinned her lips as she felt that it was still going to be in the area most heavily concentrated with Grimm.  But unless Shina contacted them with a change in orders, that’s where they were headed.  
Pulling to a stop a few buildings later so Kylar could catch his breath, she crouched down by the window and peered out into the street, shaking her head in concerned bewilderment at the Death Stalker that was knocking over rubble as it scuttered its massive size through streets, somehow being out of the forest where their kind normally roamed.

“Something’s bringing them here. This isn’t natural.” She whispered to Kylar, saying aloud what they’d both been thinking, and he nodded in agreement as he peered out as well.

“...you think they’re being lured? By what?”

“I don’t know...something feels off. I think we should ask Shina if we can deviate tomorrow.”

“Your gut telling you something?” Kylar pulled out their map and glanced down at it, frowning at the traced territory they’d marked, and then getting out their journal of report notes, which were several pages long already.

Chrystal nodded hesitantly, glancing over at him and pausing for a few moments as she looked over at him with raised eyebrows waiting.

Looking up from his notes and catching her stare, Kylar held it for a few moments before slumping slightly and letting out a breath. “Who would want to deliberately lure Grimm into the ruins?”

“You’re the brains of this operation, I’ve only got a hunch but I’m sure you’ve been thinking along similar lines, and your lines are likely  _ far  _ more fleshed out than mine.”

Humming to concede the point, Kylar nodded and looked back out the window to keep an eye on their surroundings as he thought. She was right, the thought had quietly occurred to him as he’d studied the movement patterns they’d been following, noting as more and more Grimm were coming in from outside the ruins and joining up.  Something was going on inside the city of Vale, broiling under the surface, and there were a dozen red threads that weren’t yet clicking together in his mind. The massive amounts of dust going missing, the increases in crime, the  _ White Fang  _ appearing in the city of Vale out of  _ nowhere _ , and whatever it was that inspired Atlas to bring their  _ army _ .

The shootout at the docks.

And now, Grimm that almost seemed to be...mobilising.

And...he couldn’t help but also have the feeling that their mission, being given field command, was somehow involved as well. But only faintly. A strand of a larger thread.  All individual threads and events and circumstances, some  _ faintly  _ connected to each other, and the main picture hadn’t revealed itself yet. But there was no point pretending they weren’t connected events anymore, they were beyond denying that now.  Kylar sighed and tapped his fingers on his staff, nodding as he forced himself to file it away for later, he nudged Chrystal and straightened up.  
“We need to talk to Shina and Tacita if we want to come up with any sort of answers, so let’s get moving.”

“Got it. Stay behind me. You know the drill.”

Without a sound and barely a breeze, Chrystal was out the window and in the opposite building, Kylar following with a bit more difficulty and not as much grace.  As they made their way through the streets as quietly and safely as possible, they both made sure to constantly check on the Grimm outside, taking note of the species they could see and the density this close to the center of the ruins, and both of them getting more and more concerned at just how many there were that were gathering, milling around aimlessly but still drawn here.  Reaching the hotel, they began to make their way up, pausing up on the fourth floor where a hole in the wall allowed them a massive view over the city, the two of them narrowing their eyes in focus as they looked out over it, Kylar reaching down to his belt to tap his scroll and activate his earpiece.

“Shina, Tacita, we’re at the hotel. What’s your status?”

“We’re on our way.” Shina answered, speaking quietly, as if not wanting to be heard. “Five minutes out. Things are bad, I hope we can come up with some answers.”

“Me too. We’re on the fourth floor, see you soon.”

Sitting down against one of the few intact walls, Kylar began to reload Myriadisca, which he hadn’t had to use much apart from using some gravity energy to clear some rubble, meanwhile Chrystal sat on the ledge of the broken wall of the room and looked out over the city, one leg dangling off the edge and her swords resting on her lap.  They didn’t speak, didn’t feel much need to as Kylar started going over their rather large amount of notes and tidying them up a bit, circling the more relevant ones and crossing certain ones out, cross-referencing them with the map.  It wasn’t really necessary, but it was something to do while he thought about other things.  
The puzzle of what it was they weren’t able to see was driving him mad, and had been ever since the docks.

Dust. The White Fang armed. Grimm gathering. An army arriving and no-one knowing why.

It all kept repeating in his brain over and over again, and it was threatening to drive him mad.

Sighing with his eyes closed, taking a deep breath to relax from the frustration, he sat back and tossed the notebook down dismissively, rubbing his eyes.

“Oh, so you look how I feel. That’s comforting.”

Kylar opened an eye and looked over to where Shina had hopped over some of the rubble and put his belongings down with Chrystal’s and Kylar’s, with Tacita following a few paces behind, her eyes glowing slightly as she was stretching her Semblance to its absolute limits, likely trying to scry on the entire building at once along with the street below to make sure they were safe.

Apparently satisfied, the glow left her eyes as her gift retracted to its passive level of strength, and she swayed on her feet slightly as she slid down to sit against some of the rubble, resting her bow across her legs, and glancing up at the others.

“How’d it go?”

Sighing in frustration, Kylar gestured to his notes which Shina quickly snatched up to read, handing his own notes over so they could catch each other up quietly.  Taking a number of minutes to scan each other's reports, Kylar finished first and let out a slow breath as he looked down at the map.

“This is wrong. There shouldn’t be so many. Too many species, too many clusters. Something’s drawing them here.”

“You’re right. We started thinking the same thing.” Shina nodded, passing Kylar’s notes to Tacita since she’d have an easier time reading them than he would, before he sat down properly and looked down at the map as well, looking over the notes that Kylar had added.

“So what are you thinking?” Shina glanced over at Kylar, raising his eyebrows in expectation as the other man bit the inside of his cheek and shrugged non committedly.

“I’m truly not sure yet. We’re missing too many pieces still. But this all  _ has  _ to be connected. It has to be, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Professor Ozpin said that the other threats are being handled, but…” Shina frowned, trailing off as he tapped his fingers on the map.

“But you don’t believe him?” Kylar asked, giving a grim look.

“I have more respect for that man than anyone apart from the three of you. But he’s not all-knowing. He signed off on sending us out here for a reason, especially giving us autonomy.”

“So they know the Grimm are here, but their movements and behaviours are still the variables. We’re not the only team out here though, aren’t we?”

“There was another recon team, but they were due to pull out five hours ago. Team CULD are in the caves in Quadrant 4, but as for 5 it’s just us now.”

Noting the particular look that came over Shina’s face, the other three watched quietly and patiently as their team leader went through whatever it was he was thinking. The sheer variety in Grimm that he and Tacita had found was unnatural, some weren’t even found in the same environment, and there were so  _ many  _ of them clustered around. And according to Kylar’s and Chrystal’s notes, they’d been moving in and joining up like a procession, like they were being guided.  Something, or someone, was gathering Grimm in Quadrant 5; The center of the south-east districts.

Mountain Glenn.

But why? And who or what?

Tapping his fingers on the map a bit more agitatedly, Shina took in a breath and let it out slowly. It had started driving him crazy as well. But they had a mission, and investigating wasn’t a part of it, not really.

But...well...they were  _ technically  _ meant to be tracking the Grimm...right?”

He narrowed his eyes as his heartrate jumped at what he was considering, at the stretch he would have to make in his report if they did it.

They couldn’t.

They  _ should _ .

But they weren’t allowed.

But they’d given Shina field authority.

Slamming his hands down on the map hard enough that Chrystal jumped from where she was sitting and looking out over the city, all eyes went to him as he snarled in frustration.

“Fuck it. We’re still going to do recon, but we’re changing direction. After our sleep tonight, we have until 2100 tomorrow night until extraction. We wake early tomorrow, I want us moving by 0600, and we’re  _ going  _ to find where they’re coming from. Chrystal, Kylar, reckon that concentration of tracks you found could be followed backwards? Could we find where they’re coming in?”

“Too easily. The tracks of the bigger bastards were clear as anything.” Chrystal nodded eagerly in the affirmative, a smile growing in the corners of her mouth as a buzz went through her skin, the determined fire in Shina’s eyes showing a decision had been made. Shina smiled back and glanced around at the others.

“We’re moving by 0600, we’re following those tracks back as far as we can. There’s no point in us staying the full day, our mission is complete. If we don’t find anything interesting, we extract at 1400. I just hope that if we  _ do  _ discover something, it’s something that helps. I’m tired of only discovering questions.”

Kylar nodded in agreement, still sitting back against the rubble but looking down at the map that was still over by Shina, and he sucked a breath in through his teeth. “Technically our mission is done. We know the Grimm varieties, we’ve tracked their paths and narrowed it down, and we know their numbers. It definitely wasn’t a mission that required thirty-six hours.”

“...you’re right.” Chrystal frowned without turning her head to look back inside, instead blinking in thought as she kept watch. “...why would Ozpin give us this long? Is it because it’s our first independent mission?”

“Maybe.” Kylar shrugged, though he wasn’t entirely convinced, and from the look on Shina’s face he could tell that he wasn’t convinced either, the two of them looking at each other for a moment and sharing a suspicious and confused look before Kylar shrugged.

The four of them sat in quiet thought for a while longer as the sun sank lower and lower, eventually quietly eating their dinner rations while still in thought, sitting looking into nothing until it was necessary to light a small fire just to be able to see each other, and once it reached that stage Shina sighed and snapped out of his thoughts, looking around at everyone.

“Alright, we need to rest. Chrystal, you good to stay up longer as first watch?”

“Sure.” Chrystal nodded, readjusting her position to be a bit more comfortable and settled in for the next handful of hours, getting a thankful nod from Shina who then looked to Tacita.

“Tacita, midnight watch as per usual?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll take dawn watch. Looks like you get a freebie, Kylar.”

“No complaints here.” Kylar sighed as he laid back, bundling his coat up underneath his head as a makeshift pillow, and closed his eyes, Tacita snuggling up into him and pulling the blanket they had brought over them both.

Glancing down at the notes again for another couple of minutes as he made his way over near to Chrystal and laid down, shuffling back against a chunk of rubble large enough to prop himself up against to sleep, Shina sighed as he leafed through it all, clearly loud enough for Chrystal to hear and glance over.

“It’s starting to feel like we’re being fucked with.”

“You reckon?” He didn’t look up from the papers, but he could hear the agitation in her voice.

“Not just us either. Plenty of people. Everyone? I don’t even know. What the fuck is going on that requires all…” She gestured to everything around them, then gestured up to where the Atlas fleet were hovering in the sky in the distance. “This  _ wasn’t  _ a random mission from the excursion program we were given. Ozpin and Firenei organised this, you heard her.  _ We  _ were hand picked and given new levels of trust. Why us? There are third and fourth year teams that are on the roster. Teams with  _ thousands  _ of hours more experience and training than us, to give a hand-crafted mission to.”

“I don’t know…” Shina shook his head as he folded up the map and put all the notes aside, laying his head back and looking up at the roof, watching the firelight dancing across the jagged and broken stones. “I don’t know, Chrysalis. But even Ozpin said that there’s some sort of battle being fought. He just doesn’t want any of us involved in it yet.”

“Team RWBY are clearly caught up in it, the docks was only the first,  _ everyone  _ heard about the highway chase with the mech last week. That blonde faunus from Team SSSN from Vacuo has been caught up in it with them too. So  _ god  _ knows how much Team JNPR is involved that we just don’t know about, with how close they all are.”

“...do you  _ want  _ to be involved?” Shina rolled his head to look over at her with raised eyebrows, and she met his eyes with an exasperated and surprisingly anxious stare.

“ _ Yes.  _ God yes. You’re not the only one going fucking crazy, here. And I know the other two want to as well, they’re just not the types to say it out loud.”

Looking back up at the ceiling, Shina started to focus on breathing deeply to try and get himself to drift off, but he didn’t close his eyes quite yet as he thought over the past three months since semester had recommenced, particularly his conversation with Ozpin two weeks ago. It had reassured him at the time, but the doubts had soon returned once more and more sparks of chaos had happened throughout Vale.

“Amity Arena itself arrives in four days. People are already setting up the fairgrounds, and qualifiers are in two and a half weeks.” Shina said quietly up to the roof, but also to any of the others who were listening. He knew that neither Kylar or Tacita were asleep yet, and Chrystal was twitching in agitation at her own thoughts. He thinned his lips.

“If something big is going to happen, it has to be soon. Maybe even at the dance this weekend.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Chrystal rolled her eyes, shuffling where she was sitting before looking down at her feet and letting herself give a soft smile, her voice softening as well. “It feels like it should be the least of our concerns, but...I do kinda want it to be fun. We’ve gone to clubs, but those are strangers, so a dance with our classmates? It could be really...sweet.”

“I’m not going to bother asking the two lovebirds next to me this question, but you bringing a date for it?” Shina asked with a smile, before raising an eyebrow as Chrystal turned slightly pink and looked out over the city again. “Ohhh?...”

“You know how Irik introduced us to Team Sparks, that Atlas team? You know Petyr, the nice one with the glasses? He asked me if I’d like to go when we bumped into each other in town the other day.”

“And judging from the blood in your face, you said yes.” Shina teased, but smiling warmly as Chrystal shyly nodded and smiled.

She let herself blush for a few more moments before looking over at Shina. “What about you?”

Shina simply casually shrugged, finally closing his eyes and humming, but hiding a small grin that Chrystal managed to see, knowing his tells. When he didn’t say anything, she stared at him for a few moments in scrutinising thought before her eyes widened.

“Oh my god.”

“Hmm?” He didn’t open his eyes, keeping the tone innocent.

“Oh. My.  **_God_ ** _. _ ”

“Yes dear?”

She sat up, shuffling to face him properly, and sat forward with wide and unblinking eyes, her mouth open slightly in shock. “...Shina, wait. Hang on. Okay. Oh my god. I saw you with...okay. Wait.  _ Okay. _ You tell me the goddamn truth, Shina. Do not lie to me. Did Coco  _ finally  _ permit you to ask out  _ Velvet?? _ ?”

“Maybe.” Shina grinned, giving a casual and dismissive shrug.

“ _ Shina Kamisari you give me details right FUCKING now or I’m pushing you to your death!” _

There was a sleepy groan from nearby as Kylar opened a single eye to glare at her. “Inside voices. Sleepy. Gossip quietly.”

There was the sound of a shove as Chrystal kicked Kylar gently, a wide grin on her face as she then kicked Shina to finally get him to open his eyes, but he refused to do so. She whined. “Come on, give me  _ something  _ at least. Coco’s been protective of Velvet since we trained with them back in Pharos! She told you Velvet was out of bounds!”

“It was...look, I don’t play around anymore. Not since my Semblance woke up. You know that, and Coco does too. So, I asked her if she trusted me to give Velvet a nice night, and she said yes, so I asked Velvet out to the dance. It’s not much of a story.”

“It may not be much of a  _ story _ . But it’s a hell of a  _ big deal!’  _ Chrystal grinned, resting her elbows on her knees and wiggling her eyebrows for a small moment. “So, is this a one-night-going-to-the-dance date? Or a  _ date  _ date? You’ve had a soft spot for Velvet  _ forever _ .”

“Ah yes, please shout that to the entire building. God, I’m glad we’re having this conversation here with no-one around, and not back at school.” Shina opened his eyes and shot her a scowl.

Raising her hands playfully placatingly, she grinned and shrugged. “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s just for the dance, okay?” Shina gave her a firm but amused look, before closing his eyes again, shrugging.

“Mhmm…” She hummed in open disbelief, grinning as she looked back out and resumed her watch, the smirk staying on her face even when Shina kicked her. “She likes you too, you know. Always has. But Coco kept her away.”

“I don’t want to hear this, please stop.” Shina huffed with a grin, rolling his eyes underneath his eyelids.

“It’s truuuue though.” Chrystal hummed in happy satisfaction even as she focused on her watch, frowning every time she noticed movement below before flicking to the next sign of movement when no threats stuck out.

“I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight Chrystal.”

“I still remember the note you started writing to her at the start of winter when we were twelve. ‘ _ Dear Velvet, I always like to see you when _ -”

She was immediately cut off as she had to avoid the group notebook being thrown at her full force, cackling wildly and evilly as she easily caught it and hid behind it as a shield in case he threw anything else, sighing loudly in amused satisfaction at the reaction she got as she calmed down and gently tossed the notebook to the side.

There was another mumble from nearby as Kylar grumbled yet again. “Either recite the entire note so I can remember it forever, or shut up. Sleepy.”

“Then sleep it is, because I genuinely think he’d kill me and make it look like an accident.” Chrystal giggled with viciously playful eyes, before finally calming down and going quiet.

In only about ten minutes, there were sounds of deep breathing coming from her three companions, and she looked over at each of them fondly to note as they were all breathing deeply, comfortably asleep. The fire was low, but would burn for some time before more scrap wood would be needed, and it was comfortably warm.  The view wasn’t particularly interesting, it was dark city streets of ruins that had fallen years ago, Mountain Glenn was a failed experiment that had ended in disaster.   
So these days it was silent. Completely claimed by the Grimm, but never even approaching the sort of numbers that were below them. She sighed in concern as she let herself think over it, doing her own quiet and half-hearted attempts to connect all the threads, mostly just to keep herself awake.   
It wasn’t her strength, she wasn’t sure she even knew all the threads that she should be seeing, but there were clues there.

It was a problem for all of them, later.

As the hours passed in her mulling and focusing, and it approached the time for her to wake up Tacita, she spent a few minutes thumbing through the notebook and thinking, unable to completely dismiss her paranoia from her mind. B ut thinking of the days ahead, the excitement that was coming. The dance, the Arena arriving, the Festival starting and then the qualifying matches…there were happier things to focus on.

So despite where they were, despite the time of year, despite all of it, she grinned.


	4. Day Two of Quadrant 5: Recon to Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the numbers of Grimm continue to increase, and their intel and notes reach a point of completion where they could choose to evac back to Beacon with their mission a success at any time, a realisation by Kylar has Team SKTC go off-mission the first chance they get, in order to save some friends.

Tacita sat on the ledge of the small collapsed opening where they had made their camp munching on her breakfast rations with her legs dangling over the edge and her bow over her lap as she looked down at the streets. Her unnaturally sharp eyes let her pierce the pre-dawn shadow and keep track of the movements and behaviours of the Grimm below. With little else to do as everyone slowly readied themselves, she had been noting down strange quirks of their behaviours ever since her watch shift, jotting down brief sentences and points, and she was doing so again.  
While the smaller grimm, the younger ones, were as aimless as they always were, the larger and older ones seemed to have peculiar behaviours.

They were...pacing.

Similar to how a cat will follow a laser pointer, or a dog will follow a trail of snacks. If she could read the emotions of a mindless creature like a Grimm, she’d wager they were curious about something, but bound to the simple bestial behaviours that controlled them. Back and forth along the streets, taking specific paths which she was able to watch from range without even needing to expand her Semblance that much to keep track and notice the patterns. Watching as an ursa paced along one of the same pathways the Grimm had been weirdly fixated on, she noted it down in her mission journal, the pages filling up with different Grimm doing the same things over and over again, driven by an instinct.  
Sighing in confusion, she reached behind her with a stretch and grabbed the city map, unfolding it and looking over it, finding where they were and tracing the city streets with her fingers, cross-referencing the strange pathways the Grimm were taking.

Grabbing a pen from her bag, she began to draw them onto the map, noting down each individual pacing Grimm she’d seen and then using a ruler to map out the clusters, which streets were clearly the most interesting, and then trying to find whatever it is that the different streets and paths had in common.  
Frowning as she studied her new map, she rotated it ninety degrees and then back again, trying to find what might be special or important and coming up with blanks.

Grimm followed their bestial instincts, which meant they followed the temptation of food, reproduction, or amusement.  
For Grimm that meant going for negative emotions, or just souls in general.  
But, Tacita was _pretty sure_ that roads didn’t have emotions or souls.

So what was going on?

Looking over her shoulder as Shina knelt down behind her to watch what she was doing, he frowned at her work and tilted his head. “Well, at least we can wipe out a few square kilometers that we don’t have to bother with. But why this region…”

“No idea. It’s weird. They’re...sensing something...I don’t even know. It’s like they’re pacing. Like they’re following. But there’s nothing there, nothing that I can see no matter how hard I try and focus on it.”

Shaking his head in just as much confusion, Shina rose to his feet and addressed everyone. “Alright everyone, let’s move out. Between all of our notes...I’m confident to declare this mission complete, so we can call for extraction at any time. Giving us a free fifteen hours to do our own poke around.”

“So what are we looking for, exactly?” Chrystal stretched as she stood, strapping her weapon harness onto her back and rolling her shoulders, neatening her hair as much as she could so it wouldn’t get into her face.

“We spent all of yesterday noting down which Grimm are here, how many there are, and which sections of Quadrant 5 they congregate in and the paths they take, but we _don’t_ know where they're coming in from initially. That’s today. But we’re going to end up in a few firefights, we’re moving too close to the larger clusters.”

Looking over at him from where he was organising the dust loadout in his staff, Kylar raised his eyebrows in a combination of curiosity and...anxiety.

“We’re in the middle of an army, Shina. We fight one group, we might just end up fighting all of them.”

“I know.” Shina sighed, nodding and looking around at each of them, making sure to meet each of their eyes and giving an encouraging nod. “So...we need to decide on whether or not to do this. Our mission objectives are complete, we _could_ call for early extraction and be back in Beacon in time for lunch. It’s going to be dangerous, but we might just find out how they’re getting in. That information could end up vital. So we vote.”

Frowning as he thought over it, Kylar clicked Myriadisca closed and loaded, and rested it over his legs to look off in thought and tapping his foot. After a few moments, he shook his head. “We’re good at our jobs, Shina. And we’re getting better. But we’re four students in the middle of a horde that’s growing every hour. If we had backup I’d say yes, but...the whole point of our intel was so that _they_ could properly _plan_ what _we’re_ considering _impulsively_ doing.”

“They put us here deliberately though.” Chrystal stood and stretched, sliding her weapons into her harness and glancing between Kylar and Shina. “...Ozpin must have known we’d have this choice to make. And he gave us autonomy..”

“You think this is some sort of test?” Kylar tilted his head, mulling over it himself and frowning deeper.

Pausing for a moment, Chrystal nodded slowly with a thin-lipped scowl. “I’m starting to think so. Whether this is an unofficial exam, or something else. I was thinking over it during my watch.”

“Me too.” Tacita physically glanced over her shoulder at them from where she was sitting, despite not actively needing to in order to look. “He wants something, and he dropped us here without mission control chattering into our ear every few minutes.”

All three of them looked at Kylar, who considered what they were saying and looked off into the sky out the hole in the world with a deep frown on his face, though it had shifted from hesitation into contemplation, the gears in his head turning. It wasn’t a totally insane assumption, things weren’t normal and if everything chaotic that was happening back in Vale was _any_ indication it might gradually be reaching a point where nothing could be dismissed out of hand, any theory at all, which Kylar personally found particularly terrifying.  
But _human_ unpredictability was one thing. _Grimm_ unpredictability was a whole different type of terrifying, and Quadrant 5...there was something here.  
Wasn’t this what he wanted? A chance for another piece of the puzzle?

Dammit.

Sighing, he gave a resigned and accepting shrug, chuckling in anxious exasperation. “Alright then. Don’t get me killed, Shina. But...let’s do it. Fuck it.”

“Alright then. We take the side streets. Let’s move out.”

Shina gave each of them a confident smile as he slipped Hornet’s Kiss onto his back, before leading the way down and out of the hotel. The others gave each other anxious smiles with raised eyebrows, straightening themselves out for the day, and with a kick of dust and rubble into the campfire to extinguish it they headed out into the early morning air.  
With no longer any real need to leave Grimm completely undisturbed now, the relevant data already recorded, they were more comfortable taking emptier roads when they could, dispatching any small groups of Grimm they came across that got in their way. Tacita’s behaviour map helped them stick to roads where the larger and more dangerous Grimm _wouldn’t_ be since they’d be too drawn to the other areas, and they grew increasingly concerned as the trails led them further and further towards the north end of the quadrant.  
Eventually the ruins around them were collapsed enough that the roads were blocked, so they were forced to go into the collapsed structures to navigate instead of having clear streets to safely traverse. It meant slowing down, as Tacita had more and more need to expand her Semblance to find them pathways and keep an eye out, which put them on a timer until the exhaustion drained her aura dry, taking regular breaks for her to rest and recharge.

Crouched inside of the third floor of another ruined apartment block, Tacita meditated quietly and focused on recharging her aura. It was a theory that scholars still weren't entirely sure actually helped speed up recovery, but it couldn’t exactly hurt either. Looking out the nearby window to keep watch, Chrystal spun her pistols in her hands nervously and curiously as she looked out at the surprisingly empty street. There had been a few of those, but they always managed to find the trails again and follow. It meant they were clearly getting closer to the main way the Grimm were coming in, with the trails more concentrated and the Grimm having spread out far less in the local area being immediately drawn south to the center of Mountain Glenn.

But something was still itching in Chrystal’s gut, and she wasn’t sure what.

“Kylar.” She looked over at where the other boy was dozing, taking any time to rest they could get, when he opened an eye to look at her she frowned. “What’s so special about Quadrant 5? Why are we out _here_ taking this sort of intel? it's an abandoned ruin. What is this place?”

Tilting his head as he thought about it, Kylar crossed his arms and sat up from where he’d been laying down on the dusty floor, brushing the dust out of his hair. “It was an expansion of the city, but it was risky. The city of Vale found some easily clearable land in the forest that was flat enough for construction, so...they decided it was time to expand. It was a success, but not for long.”

“Grew pretty large for an expansion that you say didn’t work for long…” Chrystal looked out over the blocks and blocks of city ruins left to traverse, and Kylar nodded.

“They worked _fast_. Practically threw the city up in a matter of months, but they had trouble clearing the roads to transport the resources needed to sustain the new settlement at first, so it struggled to grow. Plenty of these city blocks were never populated, hence the lack of furniture. But eventually they figured out how to get enough supplies to...the city...through the...” Kylar trailed off, his eyes widening as he looked around almost aimlessly in thought, slowly and shakily standing to his feet.

The others glanced at each other for a moment before looking back to him, watching as his mind dealt with a shockwave as something clicked.  
Crossing his arms to rub them anxiously, Kylar took a deep and shaky breath and let it out through his lips slowly. He immediately snatched out the map that he’d been the custodian of and checked the behaviour clusters, muttering wildly to himself as he checked the specific streets and cross-referenced them with something deep within his brain. His eyes widened further.

He looked up at the others. “I...I think Iknow how they’re getting in. And we need to get in contact with mission control. If they’re still there, Team Cold _have_ to get out of the caves. _Now_. It’s the tunnels. They’re investigating a cave-in, right?”

“...yeah….?” Shina frowned, already reaching for his scroll and putting the earpiece into his ear to connect it.

“And they don’t know what caused it, didn’t they? They’re in the Echo region. That’s nearby. It’s the same cave system. But it's out in the forests. Grimm enter _those_ caves, and come out of _these_ tunnels. Get CULD out.”

Trusting Kylar to explain later, Shina tapped the side of his earpiece to page mission control, and took a breath when it crackled to life.

_“Beacon Mission Control Emergency Channel, state your callsign.”_

“Team SKTC, mission code 240490.”

“ _Acknowledged, what’s your status SKTC?”_

“We’ve acquired emergency intel that has compromised the status of Team CULD on their mission in Echo, they’re unknowingly close to a massive force of Grimm. Also confirming the completion of our primary mission objectives.” Shina looked over to Kylar, who nodded in confirmation.

_“Copy. Connecting you to Professor Firenei as your mission supervisor. One moment.”_

As the connection went quiet for a few moments, Shina walked over to the window and looked out, with Chrystal putting her hand on his back and rubbing it reassuringly.  
The radio crackled to life again, and the stern voice of Professor Firenei came through, sounding slightly out of breath likely from running from wherever she had been, to get to the control room.

_“Team CULD are currently underground and out of radio coverage. They’re due for extraction in three hours.”_

“...understood.” Shina took a deep and slow breath and closed his eyes. “Inform mission control that Team SKTC have completed our primary mission objectives, and are now moving to assist Team CULD. Requesting immediate extraction and redeployment to their last known coordinates.”

 _“...just to confirm, you are making the decision to go in after them?”_ There was a slight note of uncertainty and hesitation in her voice on the other end of the line, the professional tone slipping slightly.

“...yeah…” Shina nodded, looking at the others who were all firmly in agreement, even Kylar had his arms crossed and a steely look in his eyes. “Confirmation from field command, which is me. We’re going in.”

_“I...confirmed. Will page you your extraction zone. Good luck Shina. We trust you. Mission control out.”_

Taking the earpiece from his ear and clipping it back onto his scroll, Shina felt his hands shaking and his throat go dry as he looked down at it, the screen blipping as the coordinates for their extraction zone came through and the ETA. Biting his lips as he closed his eyes, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder as Chrystal squeezed him gently.

“We can do this. You’re making the right call. They’re our _friends_.” She said gently, giving his shoulder a squeeze and then turning him to face her. He opened his eyes and looked into hers, with his nervousness meeting her soft reassurance.

“...if any of us get hurt, it’s on me.”

“No.” Kylar shook his head from where he was standing, helping to pull Tacita to her feet. He looked over at him and frowned determinedly. “You’re sending us in to help our comrades, because they’re in danger and we’re closer to them than Beacon is. There’s no version of this where it’s the wrong thing to do. If we get hurt, it’s the Grimm. That’s how this works.”

“Kylar’s right. As usual.” Tacita clicked the lever on her bow for it to unpack into its proper form, and she pressed the switch on her quiver to turn it on. “Our mission is complete. We did our job. And now, we’re doing it again.”

Looking around as his three teammates, his three friends, looked at him with looks that conveyed complete trust and determined support, Shina took another shaky breath before nodding and looking down at his scroll again.

“Okay then…we’re a five minute flight away from the nearest cave entrance.” He bit his lip as he almost teared up slightly, with anxiety still tearing through his body. He met each of their eyes. “ETA is in five minutes, and we’ve got ground to cover to get there...let’s go be heroes, I guess.”

“It’s about damn time…” Chrystal grumbled playfully, giving him a smirk and nudging him before slipping out the window and leading the way as they began to hear the faint sound of engines approaching in the distance.

+=+=+

Wiping the back of her hand along her face, Cypher groaned silently as she pushed herself back up against the wall of the small crevice they’d found for respite, sighing in a tired desperation when she noticed her hand now covered in blood from her nose and mouth.  
Lelise was in a far better state, her Semblance making her pretty much unbreakable, but she’d be in trouble eventually. While she might have unbelievable strength, her aura wasn’t infinite and she could take damage like anyone else.

Meanwhile Delilah was crouched over an unconscious Ursa, her hands pressed against Ursa’s cheek and torso as she forced the wounds on Ursa’s body to close and heal. While Cypher was completely silent and could ‘blink’ short distances just as silently, and Lelise had her strength that was stronger than anyone else in Vale by a factor of dozens, and Ursa was a perfect empath to the point of telepathy, even able to sense the intentions of Grimm in combat...Delilah’s Semblance was a bit more unusual but no less dangerous in how she used it.

She was able to use her aura to force flesh to do her will if she was touching it, meaning she could do anything from healing wounds to crunching Grimm in on themselves when she touched them.

With Ursa stabilised, Delilah silently made her way over to Cypher and placed her hand over her mouth without asking permission, and Cypher _felt_ her jaw snap back into place and a tooth regrow, her burst gums sealing shut. It was _grossly_ uncomfortable every time, her brain knowing that her body was doing something it wasn’t meant to do and rallying against it to the point of nausea.

As Delilah’s aura spread, Cypher felt a cut on her forehead pull itself closed and her nose snapped back into place with a wet crunch that had Lelise cringe from the other side of the small space.

When Delilah pulled her hand back, Cypher nodded in gratitude and got a small and rare smile from her teammate, the other girl straightening up and brushing herself off, reloading the vicious harpoon launchers on her wrists that doubled as barbed grappling hooks with spikes along the chains that she was also skilled at using as whips.

Pushing herself to her feet as well, Cypher glanced around at her team as Ursa opened her eyes groggily, picking up Cypher’s want for everyone to pick themselves up and get everything together. They were trapped and wedged in utterly, even if Cypher were to blink them there was nowhere to blink them _to._ They’d gotten through the collapse easily enough, Lelise and Cypher between them making short work of the rocks, and they’d continued in to deal with any further collapses that had closed off one of the last dust-ore veins in Vale, but all they’d found was Grimm and no way back out, over two hours walk underground and out of any sort of reception range no matter how many times they had tried to signal for help. But they had to keep trying. The alternative was starving to death down here, and they were running out of time before they missed their extraction. While Beacon would almost certainly send a team in to look for them if they _did_ miss it, there was no way of knowing if they’d still be alive by then.  
So they had to keep trying.

Swaying on her feet slightly from exhaustion, Cypher made her way over to the small entrance to their crevice, Lelise stepping inside to give her room to pass. They both poked their heads out a bit and surveyed their situation, and it definitely wasn’t great. They’d managed to get into a large chamber, what had once been a central point back when the entire cave was a mine, and during the fight as they’d been gradually surrounded and pressed in together Cypher had glimpsed the crevice high up the wall, and made the decision to blink them all up there to rest.

They were out of reach of any Grimm except for centinels, which were thankfully rare on the continent on Anima, but they were still around in small hives. Thankfully there didn’t seem to be any here, or the team would _definitely_ be dead by now.  
Lelise and Cypher looked down at the prowling Grimm below, the beasts long having since lost interest and stopped being able to detect the huntresses as they’d calmed down after the fight and their adrenaline had faded.

Their situation was bad. They’d known that there’d be the _occasional_ Grimm underground, a couple of Slithers maybe, but there were everything from Beowulfs and Sabyrs, to Creeps down here, species that had no business being underground, and certainly not in the numbers they had been. Something was wrong, and they’d only be down here if something was drawing them in from the surface. The cave systems underneath Quadrants 4 & 5 had several entrances, with plenty of tunnels still being used as mines, but not many.  
If they stayed too long, they’d forget the way out, and they’d be lost in a maze the size of a small city. Frankly if they got deliriously hungry enough Cypher knew she’d end up tempted to ask Lelise to just punch up through the roof and see what happens.

“That would be a _terrible_ idea.” Ursa snorted with a grin from behind her, getting an amused scowl from her before she looked back out and over where they were.

Clicking her tongue, silently as per usual, Cypher shook her head helplessly as no plans came to mind, and Lelise glanced over at her and gave her a nod in agreement, her eyebrows raised.

“We’re fucked.” The brawler shrugged, shaking her head. “A shame. I was looking forward to the Festival.”

“I wouldn’t have minded living until the Dance.” Ursa commented, leaning against the wall.

“The Tournament was going to be kickass. Wonder if they’ll put a memorial tribute for us on the televisions.”

“Oh god, there are _no_ photos of us dignified for that.” Ursa grinned, crossing her arms.

“Shit, you’re right. Would it have killed us to take at least _one_ decent team photo?” Lelise scowled, sighing dramatically as she looked around at everyone, smirking as Cypher rolled her eyes while Delilah merely stood quietly fiddling with the launcher on her right wrist.

“We could take one last photo on our scrolls for them to find?” Ursa raised her eyebrows, before grinning as Delilah gave everyone very pointed looks up and down at their torn clothes, damaged armour, and being covered in dust and blood.

The dark-haired woman spoke for the first time, her smooth voice coming out tired but contemplative. “Not to cut our post-death planning short, I _am_ curious what we’re able to do _currently_ , you know, while we _are_ still breathing.” She raised an eyebrow at everyone, her eyes landing on Cypher and softening slightly at the strained look on her team leaders face. “There’s no easy solution, C. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one that might work. We can figure this.”

Ursa nodded, her morbid humor sobering as she frowned, grabbing her double-bladed sword from the ground and spinning it in her hands casually to stretch her wrists as she focused on connecting to Cypher to share her thoughts and feelings.

“Alright, we have around an hour until extraction. If we miss it, they go into orange status for another hour, and then we’re declared MIA and assistance is organised and sent. If we’re lucky, a team is sent immediately, but we’re an hour away from Beacon. Then they have to find us, which could take four hours if they’re careful, which they would be. That’s seven hours.”

Thinking over it for a few moments, Lelise shrugged at Cypher. “I could nap for seven hours right now, honestly.”

“Perhaps, but if they send only one team there’s no way of knowing they won’t get overwhelmed too. They’d pull back, update the situation, and ask for reinforcements. That’s more hours.” Ursa continued wording Cypher’s thoughts as she kept twirling her weapon lazily.

Snapping out of her connection to Cypher, Ursa tilted his head in thought. “What’s the major cave entrance? That’s their likely entry point if we’re getting help.”

“You thinking we try and meet them halfway? To cut down on time?” Lelise raised her eyebrows high, but the idea wasn’t totally terrible. It would be a _lot_ of fighting, but they’d have to do more fighting anyway if they wanted to get out of here, no matter their plan.

Humming in thought, Delilah flipped open her scroll and brought up the basic map of the tunnels she’d found in the archives. But they were disgustingly incomplete, and whole new chambers had opened up since the map was updated. She scowled and shook her head. “I can see it on the map, and I can see _our_ chamber, but we have no way of knowing for sure how to even get there.”

“It’s the best we’ve got.” Cypher said through Ursa, glancing around at her team, and both Ursa and Lelise nodded immediately, willing to try anything, while Delilah considered it for a few moments before nodding as well.

“I’d certainly like to get out of here. I’m okay with a mission failure if it means I can sleep in my bed tonight.” Delilah nodded in agreement, putting her scroll back into her pocket.

“Alright, five minutes of prep, then we’re getting into the thick of it again.” Ursa nodded as she translated, before beginning the process of checking over her thick armour, tightening the straps.

Without another word, the four of them started to get ready, a morbid feeling between them all as they each quietly, without wanting the others to know, accepted that they were likely about to die.  
But then a distant explosion sounded down one of the tunnels, and all four of them immediately shot their heads towards the direction of the sound, all the Grimm below doing the same.  
Cypher and Ursa glanced at each other, neither of them with any ideas.

It was just that sort of day, apparently.

+=+=+

“You sure this is the way?” Shina didn’t glance over at Tacita as he shouted to get over the sound of growling and squealing as Grimm died to their weapons, pulling his sword out of a sabyr’s chest and casually kicking the disintegrating corpse to the side before zipping forward with his first-cut enhanced speed and removing another one’s head.

A beowulf charging towards him took an arrow to the heart and dropped, and Tacita nodded though he couldn’t see it, already pulling another arrow. “I can see them, they just entered my range. They’re not looking good.”

“Then let’s hurry.” Kylar stepped up next to Tacita, gave her a look, and absorbed some gravity dust, then some ice dust, and combined the two with a strained look on his face before shaping a glyph and holding it in front of Tacita’s bow, the girl clicking the dial on her bow to rotate her quiver and grabbing an ice arrow from it.

“Shina! Chrystal! Down!”

Leveling her bow at the glyph, she pulled back and fired at the charging sabyrs, her arrow flying through Kylar’s alchemy. 

When it hit the gravity glyph, the velocity of the arrow nearly tripled under the influence, and the ice in it merged with the ice dust of her arrow. Impacting into the head of the pack with enough velocity it tore right through it and stuck into the creature behind it, the swirling and combining ice energy exploded outwards, sending a barrage of icy spikes in every direction from the impact with enough force they left cracks in the stone of the tunnel. A quick follow up gravity arrow from Tacita had the spikes shatter with enough force the fragments of the spikes turned into shrapnel, ripping through more of their prey.  
The sound echoed off the walls with enough volume Kylar’s ears were ringing for a few moments, and both Shina and Chrystal kicked up to their feet from where they had dropped to avoid the ice, Chrystal whistling in satisfied amazement as she tilted her head in amused acceptance.

“Well shit. If you do that in the tournament we might kill someone.”

“Alright, we’ve got a breather. Time to speed up.” Shina nodded at everyone, and both himself and Chrystal began to jog ahead, able to clear up any stragglers before Kylar and Tacita would reach them. As they jogged forward, Kylar stumbled slightly when hit by a wave of exhaustion from casting the glyph and Tacita caught him, giving him a concerned look.

“The gravity dust?”

He nodded. “It’s...I can’t even describe it. It’s a force of nature compared to the others.”

“You’re doing amazing my love, you’ve never been this good before, your studying is paying off.” Tacita gave him a loving smile as they fell back into stride again, clicking her bow so it briefly retracted into its folded form to make it easier to run with it. Kylar smiled at her gratefully as he quickly absorbed some lightning dust to fuel his muscles and speed him up if he needed to.

“We’re all getting better. Shina was right, it’s just about instinct now.”

“Every call he’s made has been right. Ozpin’s right to trust him with this.”

“...I agree.” Kylar nodded, the two of them turning a corner, and he raised his eyebrows as they ran past some dusting Grimm corpses that Shina and Chrystal had left behind for them.

The pair of fighters were waiting for them around another bend, pressed against the wall and peering around the corner. Tacita focused on her semblance and expanded its range, and nodded when she saw Team Cold, curled up in a small hole in the wall above a chamber they were about to enter into.

“Around this next curve, we’re entering a large chamber, it’s…. _filled_ . I don’t know if we can take that many.” Opening her eyes, she reached back to check her quiver and was relieved when she noticed it was still over half-full, and she had _all_ of her fire dust arrows.

Frowning in thought, Shina bounced on his feet slightly. “How are they looking? Wounded?”

“Beaten up, but standing and combat ready.”

“Then between the eight of us, we can try.” He spoke firmly and confidently, looking at the rest of them with a determined look as he flourished Hornet’s Kiss to get his muscles ready to use it, resting it on his shoulder. “We pull out all the stops if we have to. We’re getting them out of here.”

“Damn right.” Chrystal muttered loud enough for them all to hear, glancing at them before peering around the corner again. “How tall is the chamber?”

“As tall as a three story building. It’s big.”

“Excellent. Rock walls are a piece of cake.” Chrystal slid her swords away and drew her pistols, reloading them quickly and giving a smirk.

When Shina closed his eyes for a few moments, the other three watched as his skin noticeably paled and his posture changed as his muscles were suddenly able to stretch and hold in ways they weren’t able to normally, as he went into ‘second cut’. It would strain him, but training with it had helped him be able to hold it for up to ten minutes.

“Let’s go.”

As usual, Shina and Chrystal led the way, jogging their way around the corner and skidding to a stop as the entrance to the filled chamber appeared, both of them knowing to duck as Tacita slid to a stop just behind them and drew a fire arrow, releasing it at a slight arc so it flew over the first Grimm and hopefully hit the center of the cluster, exploding outwards with a roar of fire.  
As the monsters startled and began to prepare a frenzy, Shina and Chrystal went forward, Shina easily smashing into them while Chrystal hopped up, her foot connecting with the skull of a beowulf, and she used the perch to leap up and easily connect with the high wall of the chamber, rapidly scrambling her way to the crack in the wall and sliding inside, turning to start firing down below even as she grinned at the startled faces of Team Cold.

“Get to work, then we get out.”

She winked, before stepping aside for Lelise, who didn’t give herself time to be grateful and instead merely smirked and dropped down to the ground far below, smashing into the stone floor with a powerful slamming punch that cracked the floor of the chamber with a shockwave that sent Grimm stumbling, and then she was immediately moving, sending the monsters flying like bowling pins as she struggled her way to get to Shina to meet up and have each others backs.

Snarling in pain as a pair of fangs crunched down on her leg hard enough her blood-red aura flickered, she reached down with a hand and simply squeezed its head to burst it, but her leg was still in agony even as her aura rapidly healed the bite wounds, a second part of her Semblance being that whilever she had aura her wounds healed far faster than even other Huntsmen, despite the fact their aura healed them as well.

But if her aura broke, her healing stopped and her strength more than halved. She wasn’t indestructible, and when an ursa slammed its paw into her back and sent her sprawling she was viciously reminded, but she skidded into some sort of gravity field that spun her to her feet, and she nodded in thanks to Kylar as she bounced up and landed next to where Shina was working, happily grabbing a massive creep and tossing to him, the man’s enhanced reflexes easily having him spin on the spot to slice it in half with barely an interrupting to his own momentum.

Glancing over to where Tacita was standing, Kylar assisting her, Lelise decided her strategy to begin to toss Grimm into the air to be easy targets for the two ranged fighters, Shina keeping the weaker Grimm at bay as she tossed everything from creeps to ursas and watched them either explode from Kylar’s alchemy, or dust from perfect arrows that fired with an efficiency that always made Lelise smirk when she got to witness it. Meanwhile Ursa and Delilah dropped down as well, Ursa’s full-plate armor form having her as a tank as Delilah used her grappling hooks to yank in Grimm for her teammate to butcher, while also using the grappling chain on her left arm to crack the spiked whip around and slice into any Grimm that Ursa wasn’t able to, the pair more than used to working in tandem while Cypher and Lelise often went off and fought in their own unique styles.

Up in the crevice, Chrystal and Cypher shared a look that had no time for relief or softness, merely nodding to each other and bumping fists before Cypher vanished, blinking out of existence and appearing below, her chakrams flicking into her hands as she began to get to work, blinking almost constantly as Grimm died, appearing only long enough to remove a head or slice through a torso, before vanishing again before the body parts even hit the ground.  
Looking down below and watching the pink haired girl blink around, Chrystal bit her lip and shook her head in perpetual appreciation at watching her work, before she holstered her empty pistols, drew her blades, and dropped down as well, bouncing off the head of a sabyr which lost its head before she landed. She was a constant blur of bouncing and spinning movement, and while she knew it was bad she always ended up grinning in a strange joy as she slayed monsters and curved or flipped away from any attempt to touch her in return.

The numbers in the chamber would have been impossible for four, especially as more monsters continued to join them from tunnels, but with eight working together it was hard but doable, and they all noticed as the numbers began to clear, Lelise and Shina sharing a look as a silent competition began, but any satisfaction between them all soon stopped when the chamber rocked from something, and they all looked to one of the tunnels even as Lelise ripped the last beowulf in half.

Cypher looked to Tacita with an urgent look, and Tacita nodded before closing her eyes and expanding her focus, frowning when she watched another of the tunnels caving in. She bit her lip and shook her head. “Another cave-in. That’s most of the chambers sealed off, still. If they keep collapsing, we could be trapped.”

Looking at her team leader, Ursa tuned into her thoughts as Shina stepped over to her. “Ammo is almost empty entirely, and all four of us are almost out of aura. You guys?”

“The same way.” Shina nodded with a sigh. “We haven’t resupplied since our mission, and if I even go into first-cut for five minutes maximum my aura will break.”

Tacita and Kylar nodded, both of them in the same boat, Kylar also almost entirely out of dust crystals as well.

Glancing around at everyone, Cypher bit her lip and glanced to Ursa, thinking something firmly for her friend to translate.

“As Team Leader of Team CULD, we’re...pulling out.” Ursa gave a concerned frown, but nodded in agreement. “You got it, C. We’re all wiped.”

Both Lelise and Delilah stepped closer as well, all in agreement. They were beaten.

Team SKTC were satisfied, their own mission a success once they had handed their reports to their pilot to deliver to mission control. It was time to get out of here.

As the others prepared to make their way out, talking among themselves, Cypher shyly and gently made her way over to Chrystal and paused in front of her, Chrystal giving her a soft and reassuring smile before blinking as Cypher took her hands in hers. The look in Cyphers eyes was universal, of pure gratitude and appreciation in the softest way possible, and Chrystal didn’t stop her when the pink-haired girl leaned in and kissed her softly in warm thanks, Chrystal happily kissing her ex-girlfriend/friend back for a couple of moments before they both pulled back.

“Of course we came.” Chrystal smiled gently, before leading the way back to the others, dropping hands.

As they trudged their way out, the moment they were back in radio range Shina paged for an extraction, and on the hour-long flight back to Beacon most of the eight of them slept or otherwise rested, with only Shina and Cypher staying awake as the team leaders, Cypher sitting slumped against the wall of the jet while Shina stood by one of the windows, looking out over the city below as they passed over Quadrant 5 again on their way back to Beacon, an hour long flight that felt much longer on the way back than it had felt on the way in.

It had been a long two days, and Shina was beat. But as he looked around at the beaten-up but living members of Team Cold, he felt a wave of satisfaction and confidence go through his chest. There wasn’t any doubt in him that he had made the right call. His friends were safe, his team was safe, his mission was a success, and they were on their way home.

Looking over to where she was sitting and resting, Shina met eyes with Cypher and gave her a quiet but warm smile, getting one in return. The bond between team-captains is a strange and unspoken one, always somehow blooming whenever two teams became close. It was the same between Shina and Boral of Team Bright, and unknowingly to Shina it was a bond also shared between Ruby and Jaune of teams Ruby and Juniper.

So Cypher gave him a grateful smile that said all it needed to, and he nodded as confidently and reassuringly as he could.

While the two teams weren’t exactly close, they were comrades, and they were friends. That meant they would always have each other's backs, no matter what happened.

When the airjet touched down and the doors opened, Shina and Cypher shared one last nod before they both hopped out, Cypher waving away the medical team that had been waiting when Mission Control had heard that CULD were in bad shape. The other six hopped down behind them, and while Cypher and CULD were led away for their debriefing at Mission Control, Shina blinked and jolted in surprise when Professor Firenei was openly waiting for them on the entrance stairs to the landing tarmac.

As Team SKTC approached, the three teammates behind him wiped and drained to the point Kylar was helping Tacita walk, Shina had them pause as Firenei met them halfway, a stern look on her face and her hands behind her back.

“Team Sketch. Your debriefing will be conducted in an hour. You will be reporting to Professor Ozpin’s office. Personally.” She spoke in her firm professional voice, before her face softened at the flash of anxiety that went through Shina’s face, and she gave a smile. “Team Sketch, your mission was officially successful. We’re _more_ than satisfied with your intel and your noted insights, and you helped to emergency extract a trapped and subdued Huntsman team...I’m proud of you all.”

Meanwhile, half an hour later once CULD’s debriefing was done and they’d been cleared by the medical staff, the four of them decided to chill out for the rest of the day, the teachers more than willing to give them a few days off to recharge and recover. Going their separate ways as they always did, each of them with very different hobbies and interests, Ursa and Lelise headed back to the dorm to veg out and likely watch television, and Cypher headed into the city to simply walk around and enjoy the sights and activity, probably grabbing some food.  
Smiling at her teammates' backs as they each split off, Delilah turned to wander off as well, her smile fading as she casually made her way to one of the dorm blocks and stepped inside, walking along the corridors until she reached a particular door and knocked. A few moments later it was opened, and the boy who answered it stepped aside quickly to let her in before closing the door behind her and locking it.

The raven-haired girl on one of the beds looked up from her large scroll where she was taking notes, and raised her eyebrows. “So, how did it go?”

“We cleared the first two cave-ins, but we thankfully managed to be stopped before we got the other three. Our ‘friend’ picked a bad moment to recollapse one of the new emergency ones though, it was noticed.”

“Oh? How?”

“Team Sketch showed up to reinforce us, I don’t even know how they knew we were there. And one of them has a Semblance that can see and hear at extremely long ranges with perfect accuracy. It’s dangerous.” Delilah narrowed her eyes in thought before folding her hands behind her back.

Frowning, the woman on the bed sat up and flipped through her scroll to bring up the team profiles of the members of SKTC, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at them. “Ah yes, those particular ones. Quite the interesting team. The blonde’s Semblance, then. Unfortunate, but not in the way. Do we know why SKTC were in the area?”

“Before they left they said recon in Mountain Glenn. We both know what that could mean.”

Frowning deeper, the woman looked down at the student profiles again and began tapping on each of the four members to read the information they’d retrieved from the servers. She tilted her head in curiosity and raised an eyebrow. “No matter. Any hiccups can be dealt with, if the White Fang do their part.”

Humming in agreement, Delilah clicked her tongue in thought for a few moments, causing the woman to look up from her scroll and raise her eyebrows.   
“Something on your mind?”

“Ozpin talks to SKTC personally. He finds them interesting. He hand-picked them for their mission, which means he sent them looking for something, and their mission was a success. I wouldn’t dismiss them so readily.”

“Oh? And what would you suggest instead?”

Sighing, Delilah shook her head slowly and helplessly. “Nothing can be done about them, yet. They’re too good and too united. But we can’t dismiss the possibility that Ozpin is...recruiting.”

“Now that he knows the pieces are in place, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” The woman chuckled in amusement, before putting her scroll aside. “You’ve done well Delilah. Are you so sure you can commit to what’s coming?”

“I’ll do my part, Cinder. I trust you to respect our deal.”

“Of course I will, child. When Beacon falls, the Black Flesh is yours.”


	5. Two Days Of Peace. Please.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back from their mission and with Team CULD safe, SKTC have a few days to relax until the school dance. And as much as they wish they could just sleep until then, that would have been too boring.

As Team SKTC stood in Ozpin's office, washed up and in fresh clothes waiting for the man to arrive, all that could be heard in the room was the ticking of the giant clocktower they were inside of. They’d been told that the man couldn’t be disturbed, having some business elsewhere in the school, but he would return in a few minutes and they were free to wait for him.  So they stood spread out around the office, tired and each of them deep in thought as they mulled over the past two days, each of them thinking over it and tearing the events apart in their own specific ways.  
While Shina and Chrystal stood together, leaning against one of the inner walls, and Tacita sat on one of the chairs with her head resting in her hands, Kylar stood by the massive window that made up the entire wall facing out over the school, fiddling with an electric dust crystal between his fingers in the same way most people spin and toy with pens or pencils, just mindlessly spinning it and twirling it.

Humming to himself in satisfaction and thought, he turned to look at the others.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like we actually did pretty good.”

“You reckon? Because I feel like death.” Tacita groaned into her hands, too tired to even look up and her eyes throbbing from twenty-four hours of overusing her Semblance, even the ticking of the clock tower was migraine inducing in how loud it was to her sensitive ears.

“We achieved our mission, and got a few more clues for our own thoughts.” Kylar nodded with raised eyebrows and a small smile, before shrugging in afterthought. “Oh and we saved the lives of our friends.”

Giving a breathy snort and grin by the wall, Chrystal glanced up from the ground and looked to Kylar in agreement. “For an unofficial test, I think we’re deserving of good grades. But then again my personal standards are very,  _ very  _ low. I’m just happy we all got out of the caves alive, to hell with our own mission.”

Humming in agreement next to her, Shina kept his eyes closed in a doze as he spoke. “Agreed. We did good. But fuck I’m tired.”

“Yeah I’m starved.” Chrystal nodded, inflating her cheeks as she let a slow breath out, before scowling at Shina when he smirked.

“Shocker.”

“What? I’m a growing girl.”

“The comment I could make would be needlessly cruel.” Shina sighed, getting a punch in the shoulder hard enough his arm briefly flashed numb.

“I saw the chocolate wrappers in the bin, Shina. You’re no health nut either.”

Raising her hand from her chair, Tacita groaned out again. “Actually those were mine.”

“Wait really? I thought you hated caramel.”

“It’s growing on me.”

As the others continued to go back and forth, Kylar looked at them with a growing look of bewilderment before shrugging helplessly and chuckling, turning back to the window. The others' sheer lack of attention span always baffled him, and while it had frustrated him for the first months it had eventually grown to amuse him greatly. Shina was getting better, but Kylar knew that was just because he was forcing it. And forcing it  _ hard _ .  For the team overall, he supposed it actually helped. Chrystal’s inability to focus or brood helped Tacita keep her own mood up and Kylar knew it, so as the girls kept chatting about the most benign subject Kylar could imagine being discussed in their current situation, he instead crossed his arms and hid his fond smile as he looked out the window.  
Looking out over the activity in the school below, he felt himself slumping in exhaustion but he fought the urge to absorb the dust just yet, he’d probably use it to wake himself back up once Ozpin arrived, but electric dust was a brief energiser, like a shot of adrenaline, and it didn’t last long. And once it wore off, he’d likely drop on the spot considering how tired he was feeling already.

Each dust in his arsenal had different effects, different  _ flavours _ , and felt different to have inside of his aura. It was hard to explain to the others that using his Semblance almost felt like cooking, in a way. Combining flavours in different recipes to get different results.

Red dust, fire dust, was actually more soothing than most people might expect. It sank into his muscles and skin and brought him a low hum of focus. Blue dust, ice dust, was numbing to drain. Not unpleasantly, just made him feel like there was a layer between himself and everything else, like wearing very thick clothes that just happened to be very, very cold.

White dust, air dust, felt absolutely delightful. It was almost like breathing in laughing gas, but it made his whole body feel that way. Light, free, and floating while still able to focus. It was refreshing, and completely the opposite of brown dust. Earth dust, which he found deeply disgusting to use. It made him feel dirty and gritty and far too grounded for his liking. As if his aura got a layer of mud caked over it.

Then there were the two hard ones. Hard-Light, and Gravity. He rarely used hard-light dust, it was insanely expensive even by his standards and while it was insanely versatile and an excellent bonding agent with other dust it was so agonising and draining to shape that three uses of it was enough to shatter his aura. With practice, and much more training, he’d figure it out. But until then he kept it in reserve, just in case of emergencies.

Gravity dust was similar. Not quite as expensive, not _quite_ as draining, but just as hard to use. It was like trying to shape something out of water that was determined to stay as a blob, refusing to hold any particular shape without insane force of will. But the power of it was unmatched, and apart from lightning dust it was the dust he’d figured out the most powerful and versatile combinations with.

Speaking of lightning dust, he spun the thin crystal between his fingers again. It was the one best suited for him, most attuned to his nature, with the energy and focus it provided, making the world seem sharper, and everything seem doable. The fact it combined nearly flawlessly with air dust, the two flavours mixing together and making him feel invincible when he used it, made it all the sweeter. It was also the cheapest dust in Vale, much like ice dust was the cheapest in Mantle and earth in Mistral. So even if he didn’t have a natural attunement to it, he would have been a fool not to maximise on how available it was and come up with as many ‘recipes’ as he could with it.

Stopping his spinning of the crystal, he turned back around and glanced over the room, taking in the green and white aesthetic of glass, and exposure of the clockwork gears above them. Out of the four members of his team, he’d been in this office the least. While Shina had come to visit Ozpin of his own accord twice, Tacita had been talked to about her mental state in the first months before she stabilised, and Chrystal had been here to get in trouble  _ more than a couple of times _ , Kylar had only been here once.

==

_ Kylar opened the door to the office nervously and quietly, peeking in to make sure he wasn’t intruding and was in the right place, still dressed in the neat and slightly-formal clothes he had worn to the initial orientation with the rest of the First Years who were sleeping and socialising down below in the early evening. _

_ Knocking on the door as he looked in, he smiled politely as Ozpin looked up from his desk and waved him in. _

_ “Mr Goroesi, thank you for coming. I hope you’re enjoying your first day?” _

_ “It’s...different from what I was expecting. Wasn’t expecting to be crammed into a room with everyone else, sir.” Kylar stepped in and closed the door behind himself gently with a click, making his way over to in front of the desk where Ozpin gestured for him to take a seat. _

_ “Yes, yes, perhaps a bit more crowded than you might be used to. How is Ms Everweb handling it?” _

_ “She’s...she’ll be alright. She’s sleeping through it.” _

_ Nodding in concern, Ozpin nodded before templing his fingers underneath his chin, and tilting his head. “If she struggles, please tell her she can come speak to me. But, I haven’t called you here to discuss dear Tacita.” _

_ “What can I do for you?” _

_ “I just wish to ask you a question or two that I believe was missed during the entrance examinations.” Ozpin gave a small and polite smile, giving a reassuring nod as Kylar blinked in a mixture of surprise and anxiety. “No need to be concerned, young man. Would you mind indulging an old man’s curiosity? _

_ “I...of course, sir. Anything you need.” _

_ Humming in thought for a moment as he considered the boy in front of him, Ozpin’s voice was smooth and measured, with so much curiosity in it that Kylar felt himself tense slightly. _

_ “You passed the written section of the entrance exam with flying colours, even surpassing your father. Quite a feat.” _

_ “...thank you sir.” _

_ Ozpin watched as...something...flashed in Kylar’s eyes, and the boy tried to hide the small smirk that threatened to emerge from the corner of his mouth, but he failed to hide it entirely. Internally, Ozpin hummed in thought as he glimpsed it. _

_ “But I am curious, why -do- you wish to become a Huntsman in the first place?” _

_ “Sir…?” Kylar frowned and tilted his head in curiosity, sitting up a bit straighter and placing his hands in his lap. _

_ “While I am not as in much contact with your parents as I wish I had the time to be, last I heard your father was looking to hopefully retire. You have the intellect and the aptitude for taking over, as you’re of age in only a handful of months. But instead you wish to become a Huntsman, a gruelling and dedicated profession. A dangerous one. So I’m curious as to why?” _

_ “...I...I think…” Kylar stammered a bit, breaking eye contact to look around a bit in thought as his mind fired off a little bit, and Ozpin watched patiently and carefully as the boy seemed to almost be fighting an internal war between two different opinions.  _

_ Ozpin couldn’t deny that Kylar Goroesi was an intriguing young man, but he certainly had his faults, and he was demonstrating a few of them in full force while in front of him. But they weren’t destructive, not truly. _

_ They might merely hurt the boy in the long run. Arrogance, isolation, callousness...Ozpin could empathise, looking back in his long life and some moments those flaws harmed him.  _ _ Coming out of his thoughts when Kylar looked ready to answer, Ozpin adopted a gently encouraging smile. _

_ “I…-could- take over as head of the company. And I’m going to have to eventually. Just like my father took over from my grandfather. But I don’t want that yet. To sit in a chair every day, doing the same thing, having the same arguments. Not yet.” Kylar shook his head, sighing slowly. “I want to do something. Make a difference. I think I’ll make a great Huntsman. A great team leader. So if I can do it, if I can help other Huntsmen make a difference, why shouldn’t I? You know?” _

_ Pausing as he thought over what Kylar had said, Ozpin hummed in acknowledgement and watched as the boy seemed satisfied with his own answer. It wasn’t a bad answer, in many ways it was a standard one, but it was how he said it. How he framed it.  
_ _ A different lifetime, a long time ago. A different set of green eyes with that same steel that was too jagged in the wrong places.  
_ _ It reminded Ozpin of another man who wanted to save the world on his own, believing he could do it simply by being better than everyone else.  
_ _ It was a look all too familiar to Ozpin. _

_ So he nodded, giving the boy a small and reassuring smile. “Then I am more than happy to have you here for you to learn how to make those differences. Thank you for indulging my curiosities Kylar. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and I hope you’re excited for initiation tomorrow.” _

_ “I am sir, thank you.” Kylar smiled politely and stood, taking the dismissal as it was and turned to make his way back to the door, but he paused when his hand was on the handle. _

_ “Is something the matter, Kylar?” _

_ “Sir, I was just wondering.” The boy turned back to face him, and Ozpin was slightly thrown by the completely different look in his eyes. Like the jagged and callous steel had vanished and was replaced with a curiosity that he could only describe as soft. Contemplative, not competitive. _

_ “What can I do for you?” _

_ “Why did -you- become a Huntsman?” _

_ Ozpin was quiet for quite a few moments as he thought over it, and thought about how to answer, templing his hands together on his desk. Just as the silence had almost stretched long enough Kylar nearly took back the question out of anxiety, Ozpin answered with a slow voice and a chuckle. _

_ “Because I believed with all my soul that it was what I was meant to do, and so I have always done it, no matter the strife or struggle. It will be a hard life for you, Kylar. It is a hard life for us all. But I believed, and still believe, that I am meant to carry that weight and still do all I can to combat the darkness that can be found.” _

_ Keeping one hand on the door, Kylar paused for a few moments as he digested the answer, looking away, and Ozpin saw that the gentle consideration remained in his eyes. Smiling softly, Kylar nodded. _

_ “I think that’s great, sir. And no-one would deny that you’ve helped the whole world.” _

_ “Oh I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Kylar. But thank you.” Ozpin chuckled again. _

_ Smiling for another moment, Kylar opened the door and left to head back downstairs and find Tacita, a curious frown on his face the entire way down. _

Coming out of his thoughts, Kylar sighed and shook his head to dismiss the memory of the several looks Professor Ozpin had given him that night, and went back to fiddling with the crystal to distract himself. It was just because he was tired, his thoughts always wandered around when he was too tired.  Sitting in her chair, Tacita heard him sigh and glanced up at him, her lips thinning as her eyes softened in concern. Rubbing her hands over her eyes she sat back in her chair tiredly, before jerking up.

“He’s on his way up.”

All four of them glanced at each other as they quickly made their way to the front of the desk and stood in a line in front of it politely, each of them with their hands behind their backs and Kylar shoving the dust crystal into his pocket. While they weren’t in their combat gear, or their school uniforms, they were in neat clothes, the neatest they could change into on short notice. It wasn’t a common occurrence for them to be disciplined, but each of them, in their own way, had a deep respect for the Professor. It was personal for each of them, and not something they’d really spoken about to each other.  
But it certainly made it easier for them to be polite.

The door to the office opened and a very tired looking Professor Ozpin stepped in, before the man immediately seemed to perk up a little as he saw them waiting.

He chuckled. “No need to stand on ceremony, children. Feel free to take a seat.”

Each of them gave him a smile or a nod as they then took seats on the armchairs in front of the desk, the man himself making his way around to sit down himself and give them all a nod.

“Well then Team SKTC, thank you for coming, I imagine you’re all exhausted.” He gave them each a warm smile. “After all, you’ve had a very full two days. Quite the report you handed in.”

“Was it up to standards, sir?” Shina asked calmly, but he couldn’t quite swallow down the spark of anxiety in his throat.

The man nodded. “Oh yes, very much so. Including your...personal insights. I suppose a long night in the middle of a ruin prompted quite the brainstorm session. From your observations, you believe the Grimm are acting in a somewhat deliberate manner?”

Kylar spoke up, having been the one to make the most notes and tidy up the ones Tacita had scribbled in. “Yes sir. They’re definitely being drawn to something within Quadrant 5, from the way they were pacing the streets they could sense something below them.”

“Which is how you knew that Team CULD might be in trouble?”

“...yes sir. I...figured that if the surface Grimm were being drawn below, it only made sense that they’d be flooding into the caves themselves.” Kylar nodded hesitantly.

Humming in contemplation, Ozpin sat back and templed his hands in front of him, giving a satisfied and impressed smile. He looked to Shina. “And so you acted.”

“...yes sir.” Shina straightened up and met the Professor’s eyes confidently. “I made the decision.”

“Your first time with autonomous field command and you go off-mission. I think that’s a record for a student team.” Ozpin chuckled, and he held Shina’s stare for quite a few moments, neither of them blinking as he seemed to be searching for something in the boy’s eyes. “The four of you acted on instinct. Confidently. And almost certainly saved the lives of four other students. Professor Firenei is very impressed with you.”

Ozpin looked between each of them, meeting their eyes. Shina didn’t flinch or falter at all, nothing but confident determination in his eyes and not a single glimpse of insecurity or doubt in him. He had made the decision for their team, as team leader and with field command, and he didn’t regret it in the slightest, Ozpin could see it.  Kylar looked just as confident, his eyes glimmering with his normal self-belief that was rolling out of him in waves even as he held himself politely, completely sure his intel and deductions were correct, and clearly they had been.  Tacita was shifting the most of the four of them, but that was just how she was, but her eyes were similar to the others. While she was almost always unfocused and distracted, put a mission or a target in front of her and she zoned in with a fierce determination and confidence, and it was in her eyes right now.   
And finally, Chrystal looked satisfied, and proud, and completely certain in what they had done. She was a girl who loved what she did, because it was the right thing to do and because she was good at it. And by acting on that drive, she’d succeeded at a mission and saved four lives.  And so, despite her polite and disciplined composure, she glowed.  
In his mind as he looked between the students in front of him, confident individually and united as a team in their surety at their choices and success, Ozpin internally smiled and he felt a satisfaction and confidence bloom in his thoughts.

“Team SKTC. Shina Kamisari, Kylar Goroesi, Tacita Everweb, Chrystal Wasara, your mission is confirmed as successful. With distinction. And in commendation for the rescue of your fellow Huntsmen, against overwhelming odds and by personal valor, on top of the standard credit to your grades you also easily qualify for the upcoming Vytal Tournament. There is no disagreement between the staff that you are perfect to represent what Beacon stands for.”

As the four students broke their composure and looked between each other rapidly with wide and excited smiles, Chrystal practically bouncing in her seat with enough enthusiasm that Ozpin had to stifle a chuckle, he cleared his throat to get their attention again. It took a few moments for the four of them to regain their composure, but the smiles never truly left their faces, even Tacita was resisting the urge to grin.

“Also, I do believe Professor Firenei wishes to excuse the four of you from the upcoming assessments for her class. You do have a tournament to prepare for, after all. And I do believe this counts as proving yourselves as capable of managing yourselves in the field independently. Just...don’t expect it often. You  _ are  _ still students.”

Shina smiled and looked down at the floor, a proud and happy hum going through him, before he looked back up and nodded. “Thank you so much sir. This is...you didn’t have to give all this to us.”

“It is what you have earned and deserve, Mr Kamisari. Now, considering that even despite her excitement Ms Wasara is actively swaying in her seat, go get some rest. No-one would reprimand you for taking the day off from classes tomorrow. Rest well, Team Sketch. And…” Ozpin smiled warmly as he paused, nodding in gratitude. “Thank you.”

The four of them stood, Crystal  _ was  _ swaying, and they thanked the professor before starting to leave, Shina pausing for a moment when Ozpin softly called his name.

“Shina.”

“Yes sir?” He turned, the others accepting that it was private and leaving the office with a final smile.

“About our conversation the other week...do you still feel complacent?” Ozpin gave a warm chuckle and small smile, raising his eyebrows.

Giving his own smile back, a hum of confidence underneath it, Shina shook his head. “Not today.”

“Good. Rest well.” Ozpin nodded, and watched Shina as he turned and left, the team of exhausted students heading into the elevator and heading downstairs.

Humming to himself as he sat at his desk, Ozpin sat backwards in his chair and turned to look out the window, tapping his fingers on the armrest.  The intel that the team had brought back was troubling, but not entirely unexpected. A new thread to follow in an increasingly intricate web.  And added to that web alongside that information, was the team that had discovered it and brought it to their attention in the first place. A recon and tracking mission had turned into mapping out significant intel through intuition and insight alone, and they had then immediately acted on those insights to rush in and save comrades. To save friends.

Without regret, restraint, or a single crack in their resolve.

They had just done more for him than they could know.

_ ‘But…’  _ He thought to himself as he sighed, taking his glasses from his face to polish them with a sad smile. ‘ _ They might just end up -having- to know the truth of it all, before the end of all this. They might just be exactly what we’ve been looking for.’ _

+=+=+

After a very long fourteen hours of sleep, going to bed the moment that dinner that night was eaten in the mess hall, their aura recharging and healing the numerous but subtle injuries that had taken place in their muscles from the strain, the four of them woke up gradually around the same time, just before lunch. They were all suddenly extremely grateful at Ozpin’s foresight at giving them the day off, as even though their auras had recharged and their bodies healed they still felt absolutely exhausted, taking far longer to get dressed than usual. Despite having no need to go to class, they still had to wear their uniforms, and Chrystal made sure to grumble loudly about it as she always did after waking up tired.  
But as the four of them made their way to the mess hall for breakfast, she seemed to brighten up considerably after seeing another team walking ahead of them after turning a corner, a group of four boys, and she took off at a skip to get up to one of them from behind and immediately tap him on the shoulder to get his attention with a wide smile.

Immediately distracted from his conversation with Kirian, Petyr turned to look at her in surprise and his eyes immediately widened slightly, a smile appearing on his own face.

“Good morning Chrystal! H-how are you after your mission yesterday?”

His cheeks pinked slightly when the far more confident girl casually took his hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze, and her smile widened. “I’m much better now. Are you looking forward to this weekend?”

“Very much so! Are you...sure you’d still like to go with me?”

“Mhmm. To mimic you; Very much so!” She giggled, swinging their hands slightly and getting a brighter blush from the boy. Petyr’s teammates, Team Sparks, were all giving them amused looks of varying degrees, with their team leader Sunny giving a wide smile, glowing in pride for Petyr’s uncharacteristic act of confidence, meanwhile Zavraii and Kirian simply shared a smirk between each other.  The rest of Team Sketch also shared amused looks, still behind them, before speeding up slightly to fall in step with the others, with Kylar stepping up next to Kirian and the two immediately falling into polite yet serious conversation.  
The two boys got along well, which the others found amusing, and they suspected it was due to the fact that, frankly, the two boys weren’t great at getting along with anyone else. They had a lot in common, essentially taking the same duties as each other on their respective teams, and Kirian surely had a thousand questions about yesterday’s mission.

Judging from the frowns they were both wearing only a few sentences into their talk, it was clear that Kylar was answering them.

Shina and Sunny shared a look and a nod. They didn’t know each other well, but there was a kindred understanding there. Both of them were sons of veterans, trained by their fathers but also in academies, they both had dangerous Semblances they had to keep under control, and both had been named team leaders without expecting to. Though while Shina was impulsive and extroverted, Sunny was instead a far quieter soul, making conversation between the two flow easily as neither had to compete to talk over the other, Sunny happy to listen to Shina’s talk and then give pointed and friendly answers that Shina listened to and respected.  
Unlike Team Sketch, Team Sparks were third-years from Atlas Academy, and had far more experience under their belts, but there never seemed to be any disparity or power-imbalance when they interacted, as there rarely was between student teams. Camaraderie was far more important than competition.  
At least, that’s the way it was meant to be. And the two teams made sure that that was the case between them.  
While Tacita fell into conversation with the far more composed and cheerful Zavraii, an enthusiastic boy who had somehow easily developed a rapport with the girl, Shina and Sunny dropped back a few paces to talk between each other.

Glancing over at Shina, Sunny quickly scanned the boy for any injuries, a concerned look on his face. “How are you feeling? Word has spread a bit about what happened. That Ursa girl from Team Cold is certainly a talker.”

Shina laughed and shrugged, but nodded in agreement. His eyes went serious as he met Sunny’s stare. “I’m alright, all four of us are. I won’t be in a rush to go back underground anytime soon though.”

“No judgement here. The ice caves outside of Mantle are...you could almost call them Hives, for how concentrated they can be.” Sunny scrunched up his nose in a mixture of memory and distaste, before smiling softly. “That was a great thing for you to do. Thank you.”

“Why thank me?”

“You rushed into a fight to save your allies. You didn’t hesitate. You might not realise it, but plenty of people here trust you now. Even without knowing you. And I want you to know that the four of us would do the same for you if you ever needed it.” Sunny gave Shina a determined nod, which Shina returned.

“We would for you. I’m glad Petyr plucked up courage so that we got introduced, Sunny. But I have to say, we are talking disconcertingly formally. We’re not professionals yet.” He smirked.

Laughing, Sunny nodded and shrugged to concede the point, his posture relaxing. “Yeah that’s fair, but do  _ you  _ ever get the feeling that we have to be all formal when talking about it all? Representing the team and all that.”

“God you have no idea. I feel like I should be wearing a tux every time I’m summoned to see Professor Ozpin.”

“I actually did that once. Wore my dress blues to see General Ironwood when he just wanted to discuss my grades.”

Shina snorted. “I would too. That man scares the shit outta me.”

“He’s not so bad. But between running the academy and running the military, he’s just a bit...uhh…” Sunny tilted his head and grinned, raising his eyebrows helplessly. “Tense?”

Nodding in a degree of amused understanding, Shina let out a slow breath, scrunching up his mouth as he did so. He glanced next to him. “I can’t believe I haven’t asked yet, but are you guys competing in the tournament?”

“Of course! We aren’t the greatest combat team in the world, but we’re gonna do it just for the fun of it.” Sunny shrugged with a grin. “Meanwhile  _ everyone  _ knows who you guys are giving it a go. The Vytal Festival Broadcast Network is already trying to get your statistics from Ozpin, from what Petyr has seen.”

“Seen?”

“It’s just his Semblance. He can... _ talk _ ...to technology. And he had a peek into what they’re up to.”

“Isn’t that cheating?” Shina smirked, raising an eyebrow with a quick glance next to him.

“Yes.” Sunny shrugged innocently and folded his hands behind his back, schooling his face to be the picture of innocence. “You gonna tell on us?”

Jokingly seeming to pond over it for a few moments, tilting his head and rubbing his chin, Shina shook his head innocently as well. “No, no, you need any advantage. You might get matched up against _ us  _ after all.”

“Fuck, I actually hadn’t considered that.” Sunny coughed, before rubbing his eyes.

Grinning and nudging his shoulder, and getting a friendly nudge back, Shina groaned at how busy the mess hall was when both teams stepped inside for lunch, Team Sketch having decided they were too tired to head out to town for lunch. The Festival Grounds set up the day after the ball, and when that happened there’d be a whole fairground of food options. But until then it was tables packed with people and laden with options that had been sitting under heating lights for far too long.  Glancing around, the two team leaders narrowing their eyes as they looked for places to sit, and when they found no spots close to each other the two teams sighed and said their farewells, Chrystal not even hesitating to softly kiss Petyr’s cheek and whisper something into his ear that made him slightly stumble and go bright red, the girl very satisfied with herself as she skipped away with the rest of her team, standing beside Shina as usual when they walked.

“What on  _ earth  _ did you do to that poor self-conscious boy?”

“Nothing  _ yet _ . But he’s going to have a bedrock of confidence by the end of the weekend.”

“Don’t you mean the end of Saturday night?” Shina asked innocently, getting a confident shake of the head and smile.

“No, no, I mean by the end of lunchtime the next day.”

“...you like him that much?”

“I…” Chrystal’s confident face faded and she pinked slightly, glancing at him and then biting her lip as the four of them sat down, grabbing plates. She hesitated for a moment before she continued, her voice soft and sweet. “I actually really do. He’s really sweet. And soft in all the best ways. And sure he’s a bit awkward and chatty but he’s  _ really _ funny and when it’s time to he  _ really listens _ , you know?”

“Oh boy.” Shina chuckled as he started eating. “You’re in trouble.”

“...yeah. Maybe. It can’t be a serious thing, it’ll only last three months before they all go home, but no harm in it until then, right?” Her voice was still soft, still smiling gently as she looked down at her plate.

“I’m assuming you’ve booked a hotel room. You are not using the dorm. I remember you and Cypher and considering I grew up with you I am  _ not okay  _ with seeing that again.” Shina shivered, but he forced it jokingly, and Chrystal gave him a shove in response before nodding.

“Yeah yeah, already done. Besides, I think it’d damage  _ him  _ more than  _ you  _ if we were caught.”

While Kylar was looking over the copy they had made of their notes from the mission, noting down some insights that Kirian had pondered over, Tacita was content with listening quietly as she ate, a small and secret smile on her face as she did so. Chrystal and Shina truly were like siblings, and it had always made her so warm to watch and be close to. And after a few weeks of hesitation about it, as trust and familiarity grew, eventually the two had happily brought Kylar and Tacita into their little family dynamic, and had made sure that the two had known they were family as well.  
It was just the way they were, Tacita had seen it since the start, and the way the two spoke to each other and reacted to each other so comfortably still amused her. For her own part, she reached her leg out and stroked Kylar’s underneath the table, getting the boy to look up from the other side of the table and give her a smile, which she returned with as much warmth as she could place into a simple expression, and Kylar’s eyes softened in response before he looked back down.

Tacita knew she wasn’t the most...connected...of people. There was a distance between her and everyone else, a strange disconnect as her mind always wandered away and her perception always shifted and twisted, finding it hard to focus, hard to zone in on conversation and the people around her. While her parents had eventually accepted it, her classmates had kept her at a distance when she didn’t talk or think the same ways she did.

But Kylar had accepted her immediately, had listened to how she spoke and thought and did everything in his intellect to learn to translate, and had managed it. When she spoke, he listened, and he  _ understood _ . Just as she did with him. Sure he was arrogant, and prideful, and...emotionally reclusive, but there was a deep heart and love underneath it all, she had always seen it.  She knew, she  _ knew _ , that underneath his rather well-earned pride, he would die for any of them if the time came.

And she would too. Without a single moment of hesitation.

Looking at him as he worked, his brow furrowed and lips mouthing the words he was writing without him realising, she giggled to herself as he narrowed his eyes in annoyance at a mistake and scribbled it out with a pout done entirely through his eyes, kicking himself internally. His arrogance had not been born of ignorance, but out of effort.

It was  _ meant  _ to be confidence, a confidence that was well earned, but instead he had gone that wrong direction along the way, and he was working on it.

Just as she was about to speak, to tell him how much she loved him, she saw something happening outside, her damn Semblance always getting in the way of what  _ she  _ wanted to focus on. But this one was important, and she immediately shook Shina’s shoulder to get his attention, their team leader  _ immediately  _ breaking off his bickering when he felt the urgency in her touch, and he looked to her with serious eyes.

“What can you see?”

“There’s a faunus girl outside and Cardin has her cornered, he’s in a bad mood. First corner behind class block D.”

“Just him or is his team there?”

“They’re all there.”

“...stay here.”

As he stood he immediately grabbed Chrystal, who had overheard and didn’t hesitate to get to her feet and fall in step beside him as they made their way outside quickly, a fierce and angry look in their eyes as Shina threw open the mess hall doors perhaps a bit too aggressively, but Chrystal didn’t comment, she would have done the same.  
A few paces later, without saying a word, they turned the corner and saw a far too common sight. Cardin Winchester being an asshole to someone his team outnumbered.

Fucking shocking.

The rest of Team CRDL didn’t even see them coming, too busy watching and laughing as Cardin had the timid and shy girl backed into a corner, with her almost tripping onto a bench her legs had backed up against as he pushed a bit closer.

Before they had time to react, Shina and Chrystal cleared their throats when close enough they could reach out and touch them, and as the three boys spun out of surprise Chrystal immediately punched Dove in the face strong enough to shatter his pathetically weak aura and knock him off balance, swiped a knee to bring him down, and as he dropped she grabbed his arm to stop his fall, yanked him back up, and drove her other fist into his face again to crunch against his yanked momentum. The boy was out like a light before the others had time to open their mouths.  
In the meantime, exactly in sync to Chrystal’s own movements, Shina took a far faster but perhaps more brutal approach as he simply swiped Russel’s leg to knock him off balance, wrapped two hands around his head, and with all his strength slammed his head down as he brought his knee up, crunching the boy’s face into his knee, shattering his aura almost immediately, and breaking his nose and concussing him. Then just a quick punch to the temple had him out and sprawled.

By the time this had happened, Cardin had turned and snarled while Sky’s surprisingly quick reflexes had him bringing his arms up to block Chrystal’s first jab, but when he attempted to retaliate she easily tilted her head out of the way. Deciding to toy with him a bit, knowing the boy to be almost the most racist out of the bunch but also the most cowardly, Chrystal pulled the strength of her crescent kick slightly so that while it would knock the boy away so she could isolate him, it only sparked his aura and didn’t crack it.

Team Cardinal were the sort of bullies who were trying to make up for their own shortcomings. While they were considered  _ decent  _ fighters, they had barely passed the entrance exams and it was well accepted that Team RWBY and Team JNPR had cleared out the major threats of the Emerald Forest by the time CRDL had gotten to the relics, making it easy for them and probably the only reason they had managed to get there. Ever since then, CRDL had held a personal grudge against the two teams, but their inferiority complexes had turned them into vicious assholes, especially against faunus students who they knew that more than a few humans would hesitate before defending.

But, Team SKTC had never held many qualms about that.

So the two unarmed-fighting experts were more than happy to interfere.

While Chrystal knocked Sky aside to toy with him and not just incapacitate him but make him  _ hurt,  _ Shina didn’t feel much compulsion to stop her from indulging in the black anger. As far as he cared, Sky deserved it.

As did Cardin, who wore an undeserved sneer as Shina simply dropped Russel to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“Hey Cardin.”

“Back off, or you drop.” Cardin stepped forward, callously stepping over the unconscious forms of his teammates who it was known he barely gave a shit about. Shina gave him time to bring his arms up and take a swing before Shina simply knocked his right-hook aside and stepped forward, using his momentum against him as he drove his fist  _ hard  _ into the bullies gut, making his dark brown aura spark but not entirely break.  
But it still hurt like a motherfucker, so Cardin snarled and went to punch Shina in the face, swinging a few times wildly as Shina simply took steps back out of the way each time.

“Running away huh?” Cardin sneered as he took another swing, skipping forward a few steps to take a lunge, Shina catching his fist and tossing him away.

“No, I just need the wall.”

Sighing, Shina grabbed Cardin’s arm as the boy took a swing, put his other hand on the boy’s shoulder, casually opening his first-cut while in the motion, and with a quick smack of pressure the boy’s aura vanished as his arm broke at the elbow, before Shina swiped his knee to bring him down to a kneel, hopped back, and with all of his Semblance enhanced strength smashed his foot into the side of Cardin’s head, smacking his head into the brick wall of the building  _ hard  _ and causing him to spit out blood as his eyes rolled back and he dropped, mindlessly groaning as he laid there.

He was alive, and would live, but it was a brutal injury that Shina didn’t have it in himself to regret as he turned to the girl and stepped forward, deactivating his Semblance as he heard Sky hit the ground, Chrystal straddling the boy and driving her fist into his face enough times that he was coughing blood and it was dripping from a few tears of burst skin.

When she was satisfied he was out and punished, Chrystal stood and looked at her fist as her aura easily closed her only slightly wounded knuckles from her hits, the bones and joints already toughened from the eight years of training.  When she saw as Shina was gently and slowly approaching the cowering girl, she stepped back and let him handle it, knowing that her hateful anger was still throbbing in her head far too much for her to handle any sort of gentle conversation with grace, relaxing slightly when she felt Kylar step up next to her and place his hand on her back for a few moments and rubbed soothingly, giving her a reassuring nod before starting the process of checking on CRDL’s injuries, but not looking particularly concerned about it.

Approaching the girl, who was covered in bruises and a couple of grazes with her aura clearly broken, Shina recognised her as a first-year and made sure to give a gentle smile as he stopped a few paces in front of her, holding his hands up placatingly.

“Are you okay? I’m not going to get any closer, alright? You’re safe.”

“I...why did they do that?” The girl whispered, looking around at the unconscious team. “I didn’t do anything to them.”

She was a rather sweet looking girl. Short, with blonde hair at her shoulders and small goat horns coming out of her scalp that were a shiny white colour that suited her hair rather perfectly. Bright gold eyes, another slightly common faunus trait, and plenty of toned muscle but clearly built for speed and not defensive strength, making her helpless while outnumbered.  She sank down onto the bench and curled up slightly.

Shina sighed, keeping his face gently. “I know. But they never care about that. They’re frankly just assholes who never seem to learn. But we try and teach them all the same.” He gave her a grin, and she giggled wetly as she teared up, the adrenaline finally fading from her enough she could give into her fear and cry.

“...thank you. You really hate them, huh?...that was...scary.” Her voice went quiet towards the end, and she bit her lip and looked down.

“No...no, we don’t hate them.” Shina sighed again, running his hand through his hair and accidentally getting blood through it. “We hate what they stand for, and what they believe. But hate requires an energy they don’t deserve.”

“...that’s pretty poetic.” She giggled again, but she nodded as if she understood, relaxing slightly as she looked up at him.

Taking another step forward, but only one, he sank down onto the bench two arm’s length away from her, putting his hands in his lap to make it as clear as possible he meant no harm. “How long have they been picking on you?”

“Ages. But...normally my team is around, so they haven’t been this bad before.”

Nearby, a voice spoke up as Kylar sighed. “Three days ago was when Pyrrha Nikos beat them four on one. I imagine their egoes took a hit from that.”

“Probably. Pathetic shits.” Shina shook his head, looking back to the girl and giving a smile. “Who is your team anyway? What’s your name?”

“I’m Reika, of Team RNBW. Team Rainbow.”

“You’re team leader huh? I can see in your eyes you must be a really kind one. I’m Shina, of Team Sketch.”

“That explains the badassery then.” She smiled, looking at the unconscious boys who Kylar had dragged to be laying in a line.

The sound of running footsteps had all four of them look over, as Tacita and three other girls sprinted towards them, one of them calling out as she skidded to her knees next to Reika and put her hands on the girls knees. “Oh my god Reika I’m so sorry we didn’t mean to be gone so long and I never thought this could have happened then the Tacita girl somehow found us and-”

“I’m okay Biatriss, I’m okay.” Reika put her hands on the girl's cheeks and pressed her lips to the taller girl’s forehead. “I’m alright. This is Team Sketch and they dealt with them before they hurt me too much. Promise.”

“I...you sure?” The girl, Biatriss, looked at her team leader with loving eyes, getting another nod, as the other two girls stepped close and sank to their knees to be eye level as well, whispering quietly.

Biatriss stood and walked over to the unconscious forms of Team CRDL, pausing for a moment to look at them before she started to kick Cardin in the ribs over and over again, swearing at him violently until Chrystal stepped over and put her hands on the girl’s shoulders to stop her from killing the boy, helping her walk back a few paces.  The girl turned to Chrystal and gave her a smile before darting in and wrapping her arms around her tightly in thanks, Chrystal blinking in surprise for a few moments before internally shrugging and wrapping her arms around her as well, squeezing.

“Thank you thank you. I’m sorry you had to help, we try not to leave her alone, but thank you.” Biatriss whispered over and over again in a torrent as Chrystal soothed her quietly.

“It’s okay. What’s important is we got her out and they’re dealt with. She’s okay. You’re okay. Things are okay.” Chrystal pulled back from the hug slightly and confidently put her hand on the other girl’s cheek, meeting her eye. “I promise.”

After a pause, Biatriss nodded with a smile as she let go. “Thank you..”

She made her way over to her team, who were still fussing over Reika even as the girl’s aura flickered back and began to heal her.  
Team Sketch stepped over to each other and shared looks, but before any of them had time to say anything the voice of Professor Goodwitch had them jump, Chrystal’s gut clenching in anxiety.

“Well well, I wish I could go two days without hearing about the four of you getting involved in something.” Glynda scowled at them before turning to look at CRDL sprawled out. She sighed, not seeming to be particularly surprised, before grabbing her scroll and sending a message to the medical team to come get them.

“I don’t think I have to ask many questions to understand what happened here.”

“Why are they even still _ here  _ Professor?” Chrystal spoke up, her voice tense and angry, and she balled up her fists. “They’re awful. They’re bullies who pick on anyone they can, they can’t fight for shit, they suck in every class, they-”

“ _ Calm down Ms Wasara _ . I suggest you try and breathe.” Glynda raised her eyebrow at the girl, the look stern enough that Chrystal immediately silenced and looked rather meek as she calmed herself down.

Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, Professor Goodwitch glanced around at the four of them. “While I appreciate your intentions, the four of you are  _ not _ the saviors of the school. Yesterday you went off-mission. Today you all but  _ brutalised _ a situation that the staff can handle if alerted. I was not far away, as Tacita’s Semblance had proven.”

“They deserved it.” Chrystal grumbled, but not quietly enough, as Professor Goodwitch raised her eyebrows high.

“That is  _ not  _ for you to decide. You have just done worse to them than they have ever done to those they have victimised. It was defense, so technically you have not broken any rules, but one look at Mr Winchester and Mr Lark tells me that there is every chance they will be incapacitated for the qualifying round of the tournament. Which is a grave loss, considering their ambitions for it.”

When Chrystal went to say something, the vindictive satisfaction clear on her face, Shina put his hand on her shoulder and she immediately calmed, thinning her lips and looking away with her eyes closed to calm them. Glynda gave Shina an approving look that she made sure to quickly banish and replace with a stern scowl.

“SKTC, I know you have good intentions. But this…” She gave a pointed look to where CRDL were being lifted up on stretches by the medical team. “Is  _ not  _ your responsibility. Or your _place_ to do it. Again, you are  _ not  _ the saviors of the school. Yesterday you made the right call, but yesterday you were on mission and with authority. While on this campus, you are  _ just students _ .”

Looking between each of them, her look fierce and her riding crop behind her back, she made sure to keep eye contact with each of them long enough that they folded and nodded, before she hummed in satisfaction and then glanced over to Team RNBW.

“Go on, now. Go be  _ students _ .”

“We have a day off.” Chrystal said with a small playful smile, testing the waters and relaxing slightly when Glynda rolled her eyes and let out an exhausted breath.

“Then go be teenagers, I suppose. Not the defenders of justice. I beg for just two days of my life with you four not having to be either scolded or debriefed.”

Without another word, the professor made her way over to where RNBW were talking, and Reika looked over with another thankful smile before she gasped in thought and reached into her pocket, pulling out her scroll and waving it.  Nodding in understanding with a smile of his own, Shina pulled out his scroll and unlocked it, the two of them finding each other on the school network and adding each other to their contacts.  
Reika gave a wide smile, her eyes completely soft and thankful, and Shina nodded with a smile as he led Sketch away, the other three falling in step as they always did.

“...think we can manage more than two days?” Kylar asked with a tired groan, silently begging that they could have some peace as well, before groaning at Tacita’s chipper answer.

“The ball is in three days, and I doubt we’ll end that night without getting scolded. So maybe three will be our limit.”

“We could just...not go.” Kylar threw out playfully, not even slightly meaning it but getting a shocked glare from his girlfriend anyway.

“I did not spend all that money on that dress, and then all that time...altering it...for us to not go.”

“...you what now?” Kylar blinked, looking over at her and his throat going slightly dry at the playful smoulder she gave him.

“You’ll see. Chrystal and I decided to be quite...inventive.”

Chrystal gave a hum of confirmation, her hands behind her back playfully as she walked and a mischievous smile on her face. Next to her, Shina snorted and shook his head, before immediately freezing in place when Tacita glanced over at him.

“And I know that Coco has taken Velvet to a few different tailors in town. She asked me what your favourite colour was. And we  _ all  _ know that Coco knows what she’s doing.”

“...that’s...it...and…fuck.” Shina scowled, swallowing as he started walking again and trying to mask his whirling thoughts as they walked, but Chrystal saw his tells as she always did and burst out into a cackle.

“By the brothers, I fucking forgot how bad you have it for her underneath all that promiscuous bravado.”

“We. Are. At. The. School.” Shina gave her widened frustrated eyes, emphasising each word. “Shut. Your. Mouth.”

“No.” Chrystal stuck her tongue out, avoiding when Shina went to kick her in the shin.

Walking quietly next to them, Kylar took Tacita’s hand, which got a surprised blink from her. Kylar was rarely affectionate in public in any way or shape or form, even things such as hugs and contact was rare for him, as he said it made him feel uncomfortable and exposed. But he took her hand and squeezed it, and when she looked to him in surprise he took the opportunity to pause them from walking and place a soft kiss on her lips, hearing and feeling the sigh from her as she paused to place her hands on his chest gently, enjoying it for the few moments it lasted as Shina and Chrystal continued walking back to the dorm, bickering.  
Pausing in the corridor they were in, when the kiss ended Tacita rested her head on Kylar’s chest for a moment, taking a deep and stressed breath and finding comfort in his scent, having always felt that his scent was like that of the forests back home. Wrapping his arms around her, Kylar pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“You okay?”

She paused for a moment before shaking her head. “Everything is changing.  _ We’re  _ changing. It doesn’t feel like we’re just students anymore. The way Professor Ozpin looked at us…”

“How do you mean?”

Pausing again to think over it, Tacita ended up having to shake her head, having no idea how to explain the way Ozpin had looked at them with such...scrutiny, as if analysing their capabilities and cataloguing them in a different part of his brain than usual.  
Even in their headmaster’s eyes they weren’t simply normal students anymore, and that scared her a great deal. While she had always wanted to be a hero like in her stories, and she felt like she was getting there and would be good at it after graduation, something in his face had said otherwise. Had felt like he was studying them...early.  
The other three were loudly fixated on whatever it was that they were all detecting was under the surface. The threads and clues leading to something much larger than what anyone was telling them. And she wanted to understand as well, but her thoughts were quieter. They were always quieter.  Something in her wanted to go back to the caves, to get to the bottom of whatever those cave-ins were about. She wanted to get underneath Mountain Glenn and find out whatever the hell was happening down there.

But she couldn’t. She was a student. They were all students.

Yet Ozpin had looked at them in a way that made her feel like he was considering sending them on that mission of his own accord, but had fought the urge.  
She couldn’t find a way to put it all into words. She rarely could, and she hated it, so she simply shook her head against Kylar’s chest.

“I don’t know how to word it.”

“That’s okay.” He kissed the top of her head again, always understanding when she couldn’t. Always kind about it. Accepting and understanding. She loved him so much for it.

“...let’s go back to the dorm?” She whispered, nuzzling into him, being close enough to him always making the rest of the world fade out of her head.

He nodded, taking her hand again as they began their walk back, with Shina and Chrystal flopped onto their individual beds when they arrived, Chrystal sound asleep with her particular talent of sleeping anywhere at anytime, while Shina had his earphones in and was struggling to read a textbook that Kylar didn’t recognise, the usual frown and wince on his face as he struggled to keep the letters in the order they were meant to be in as he read.  
He did this every day. Kylar knew he did, listening to audiobooks of some textbooks while reading others even though reading was agony for him. Book after book, journal after journal. While Kylar had never really been an externally emotional or affectionate person, being around the others had helped him start that journey, so he stepped away from Tacita when they entered and placed his hand on Shina’s shoulder, prompting the other boy to take out his earphones and look up.

“Hey man, what’s up?”

Kylar paused for a moment, before giving as confident and reassuring a look as possible.

“Thanks for letting us save our friends."

Looking at him quietly for a few moments as he blinked, Shina gave a small nod and smile. "We always will."


	6. A Dance Without Much Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night of the dance! Team SKTC manage to give Glynda her two days of peace, but even when things are meant to be a nice night of teenage drama, hormones, and punch, their pitiful peace streak is broken. In one way or another, each of the four of them shoot their shot, but they might not all hit.

It was surprisingly easy for Team Sketch to give Professor Goodwitch her two days of peace, as the four of them were more than willing to have an easy time of it before the night of the dance. And eventually, it was Saturday.

It was time.

The morning passed in a buzz, a buzz which Cypher very much enjoyed watching as she casually spent her day wandering around the school halls and down through the streets in the city, an amused smile constantly on her face as she watched the tailors and seamstresses packed to bursting for last minute adjustments and orders being picked up. While she’d be going to the party herself, and had her outfit planned and ready, she didn’t have a date for it.  
But that didn’t bother her. Not really. She did have her eyes set on a particular girl or two that she knew swung the same way as her.

Passing down the main street of town, she heard her name being called and she spun on her foot to see Coco Adel and Velvet Scarlatina waving her over, and she gladly gave a smile and skipped her way closer, satisfied with the way Coco’s eyes stayed on her, and she was more than happy to stare right back for a few moments until she was right in front of them, giving a friendly wave. Velvet looked nervous, and clutched a large shopping bag carefully, a wrapped bundle inside she had clearly just picked up.  
Glancing down at it, Cypher raised an eyebrow and gave a playful questioning look, and without needing translation Velvet blushed cutely and smiled. “You know Shina and SKTC pretty well, right? I mean, you’re friends?”

“Well they did save her life, hon.” Coco gave Velvet a smile, before turning back to Cypher and quickly letting her eyes flick up and down one more time, resting a hand on her hip. “So Pixie, got time to give our girl here a few hints, if you can?”

Internally raising her eyebrows at the nickname, being one of the lesser ones people came up with for her, Cypher gave a casual shrug and nod, crossing her arms over her chest.  
Nodding in satisfaction, Coco glanced over at Velvet.  
“So sweet little Velvet here is a bit nervous. I’ve told her that there’s nothing to worry about, but I was hoping that as Shina’s classmate and friend you could promise her that Shina’s genuinely interested and not just making fun of her or faking it.” Coco said sweetly, placing her hand on the shy faunus’ back as the girl looked down and blushed a little brighter, her grip on the bag tightening and biting her bottom lip.

Frowning in soft concern, Cypher stepped forward and placed her hand on Velvet’s arm gently, giving it a soothing rub until the girl looked up to meet her eyes. Cypher nodded gently and gave a smile, before taking her scroll from her pocket and typing a message, showing it to them. _‘According to Chrystal, he’s been into you since Pharos. But she made me promise not to tell anyone. Oops.’_

Velvet gasped a little and swallowed, while Coco smiled in smug satisfaction and nodded to her friend. “See? Been telling you for ages now. He just had to straighten himself up a bit, and you’ve had class to focus on. But he’s not just _happy_ to be going with you. He’s _thrilled_.”

Nodding shyly, Velvet looked up at them both and nervously looked down into the bag as if she could study her purchase even through the thick wrapping paper. “Chrystal said his favourite colour is crimson, right?”

“Mhmm. And it’ll match your hair _perfectly_ darling. Combined with the black-”

 _“Coco!”_ Velvet gasped to interrupt her friend, getting a smirk from her as Cypher erupted into silent giggles and clapping in amusement.  
Looking past the two teammates, Cypher raised an eyebrow as she noticed the man in question standing with Kylar outside another store while Chrystal rummaged through a backpack searching for something, and so Cypher tapped Velvet on the shoulder and pointed. The shy girl immediately squeaked and darted to hide behind the two taller girls, further hiding the bag behind her own back.  
Coco and Cypher glanced at each other and laughed, Cypher silently while Coco’s was a rich and gorgeous sound, the stylish girl lowering her glasses just enough she could peer over them at the three visible members of Team SKTC and shake her head in amusement.

“Oh that poor boy has no idea what he’s in for. I hope he’s bringing his A-Game as well. But, he’s never disappointed before, so I think you’re in good hands V.”

Next to her, Cypher nodded, looking over her shoulder to where Velvet was still hiding, giving her a wink which had the bunny smile shyly and nod, slightly encouraged.

Velvet barely spoke above a shy whisper. “...I hope so. I hope he doesn’t get bored of me tonight. I’m not a great dancer…”

“It’s not just about the dancing, hon. It’s about the company.” Coco shrugged, spinning on her foot to face her friend. “He likes you. He’s fascinated by you. And he _wants_ you. Trust me, it’ll be wonderful.”

As her friend stretched out and emphasised the word ‘wants’, Velvet’s eyes widened slightly and she smiled incredibly shyly, looking to Cypher for confirmation who nodded with a determined and reassuring smile and raised eyebrows.

“O-okay. I hope so. Cuz I...yeah. You know? Ever since we were at...yeah. He’s really wonderful. And I mean, I wouldn’t have judged him back when he was a bit of a heartbreaker. I’ve always...He’s a great guy, you know?” Velvet stammered out a bit, but as she spoke her confidence rose and she gave a wide smile, before nodding to Coco happily. “Come on C, we’ve still got to grab yours.”

Coco laughed and nodded, and after Velvet turned away to head along the street, she gave Cypher a quick glance and raised an eyebrow, lowering her glasses again. “You got something picked out and planned, Pixie?”

Nodding, Cypher glanced Coco up and down and raised her eyebrows in the same question, getting a demure and playful nod and hum of confirmation in response.

“Your outfit as tight as your combat one?”

A smile slowly breaking out on Cypher’s face, she typed on her scroll again.

_‘Tighter.’_

Staring at Cypher’s scroll for a few moments, Coco let out a slow breath and her eyes flashed before she hid them behind her glasses again. “Good. But hopefully not so tight you can’t give me a good dance when I save one for you. See you tonight Pixie.”

As Coco sashayed away, gently brushing some of her gorgeous brown hair back over her ear just beneath her beret, Cypher watched her go for a couple of moments before letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding, and she swallowed, only just realising her throat was slightly dry. Sliding her scroll back into her pocket, she noticed her hands were shaking ever so slightly, and she gave a grin as she put her hands behind her back and continued skipping along.

Watching her ex-girlfriend’s exchange end and then watching her skip down the street, Chrystal grinned in amusement as she finally got all the smaller boxes and packages fitting properly in her bag, standing up and swinging it over her shoulder as they waited for Tacita to finish inside. Kylar glanced over at her and raised his eyebrows.

“You sure it doesn’t bother you?”

“Why would it?” Chrystal frowned, tilting her head at the question.

“Well, she’s your ex. The first person you really liked and bonded with in that way, you know? And now she’s all...you know, in plain sight.”

“Well, sure, I loved being with Cypher, we got along great and still do. But…” Chrystal shrugged and gave a small satisfied smile. “It stopped working. She’s a team leader, and I had studies to improve. It wasn’t a bad breakup, I want her to be happy. And if this is how she’s happy, it’s how she’s happy.”

“She kissed you.” Kylar pointed out, raising his eyebrows in confusion and curiosity, and she nodded simply.

“Cypher _has_ to communicate visually and physically, she doesn’t have much else of a choice. And she knows that things are comfortable enough between us she could express gratitude in that way if she wanted to. Clearly she did. Besides,” Chrystal gave a smirk and a slower shrug, her eyes moving back along to watching her ex skip down the street back to school. “Fighting gets her...worked up.”

Leaning against the nearby shop wall, Shina smirked and nodded in understanding, breaking off from where he’d been quietly watching Velvet for a few moments as the girl entered another shop. “Like you’re any different.”

“Never claimed otherwise. There were plenty of reasons why she and I clicked so well.”

Emerging from the shop with a bag in her hands, Tacita gave the three of them strange looks with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t even need my Semblance to hear that conversation from inside, and it is _not_ an empty store in the slightest.”

“You all done?” Chrystal asked innocently, giving Kylar a glance as Tacita smirked and nodded just as innocently.

“Mhm. Everything adjusted and tightened. Shall we head back?”

Giving a cough, Kylar blinked and looked between the two girls, before looking up at Shina with a bewildered look, the other boy merely shrugging as he kicked off from the wall.  
“Don’t look at me, I didn’t give her any advice.”

“Liar.” Chrystal coughed before and after the word, getting a slap on the shoulder from Shina in response as they began to head back, the walk a warm and peaceful one, perfect for the event coming that night by promising a cool breeze and a clear view of the stars.

“So when do you meet up with Petyr?”

“He is picking me up from our dorm at 6pm sharp.”

“...the dance doesn’t start until seven though.” Shina narrowed his eyebrows in suspicion, and Chrystal merely gave an innocent blink and look in response, as if the news was entirely a surprise.

“Doesn’t it? Oh dear. An extra hour all to ourselves with me dressed up. Drat. What about you and Velvet?”

“I’m picking her up from her dorm room too.”

“Oh yeah? What time?”

“...six.”

“Well well, well. How about that. I’m so happy that I know what she’s wearing, I got to give reviews and opinions and everything.”

No-one replied, perfectly content to let Chrystal look entirely too smug for the situation as they reached the archway into the main quad. The mess hall for lunch was emptier than usual as they passed by it, with plenty of students having grabbed lunch in town while they were out and about, and the corridors were currently just quiet enough that Tacita’s head didn’t hurt as badly as it normally did, making it easy for them to get back to the dorm room in one piece, closing the door behind them and Chrystal immediately beginning the process of laying out her outfit on her bed, scrunching up her face in thought as she gave it a final once-over.

Normally for formal events she wore trousers, a button-up, and a vest, due to her hatred of dresses and skirts, but she was making a singular exception for the ball that night. Specifically, an exception for Petyr.

It wasn’t anything particularly fancy, anything _too_ formal wouldn’t suit her personality or demeanor. A delicate silver A-line skirt that was fitted perfectly at her slim waist and stopped as high up her thighs as the dress-code allowed, tightened with white laces up the back, with a dark green tight formal tank-top with more material along the shoulders than normal and shimmering silver embroidery of leaves and branches, with slits cut into the sides to show small teases of skin, combined with white thigh-highs and black boots, and finished off with a delicate silver tiara she’d borrowed from Shina’s mother that looked like branches and leaves. It was simple, just formal enough to be allowed while also sticking true to her personality, and it showed enough skin that she wanted Petyr to not be able to speak for a while.

Anything more elaborate or complicated would have felt off, no matter how many times Tacita had tried to force her into a dress. Formal events disagreed with her, but the occasional one was required, and she silently swore this would be the only time she’d wear a skirt for one, because Petyr was nice and this would be his only opportunity to see her dress up a bit and not just wear her normal jeans and t-shirt.

Meanwhile Tacita, as Kylar’s long term girlfriend, had been to quite a few formal events with the Goroesi family and had grown more than comfortable dressing up for any occasion. So she had every enjoyment in wearing a sleeveless dark blue dress, with a high neckline and almost identical silver leaves and vines embroidered that Chrystal had, the vines travelling down over her chest and gradually crossing over to the right, creating almost a V shape until they converged at the top of her right thigh to then travel down along a slit for her right leg. It was backless, exposing the strength of her shoulders and back that had developed from years of using a heavy-drawn bow, and while it dipped relatively low on her back it remained conservative. She made sure her long platinum blonde hair, normally halfway down her back, was tied up elegantly, to ensure that the muscles of her back and shoulders were visible.

Without her or Kylar’s family around to judge her for it, she had made sure it was far tighter across the chest than usual, and stopped higher up her leg than her other formal dresses, finishing off with silver heels that weren’t so high she couldn’t still maneuver in them.

Not to be entirely outdone by the female members of their team, Kylar made sure to dress in his own variation of the traditional family style, which was almost always a traditional three-piece suit, except he always eschewed the suit jacket for a short-cape that would end at his hips, of a material heavy enough it stayed tighter to his profile than a normal cape and didn’t flourish as much, typically fastened with a buckle of a star. To continue with the team’s dress theme, his button-up was white, with a silver tie, a white vest with black buttons, slim-fitted black trousers, and his cape was black with the same vines and leaves embroidered on it in silver both on the outside while also in the lining within.

Meanwhile Shina went for a more...untraditional style of formal attire. Mostly in that there was a fair bit of leather involved. A white button-up that was exceedingly tight and ended just over halfway down his forearms, but over it he wore a black leather vest, once again with the silver leaves and vines alongside the rest of his team. The vest also had silver trimming of by far the most shimmering silver detail found on the team, which meant it gorgeously stood-out against the midnight black leather. With tight white trousers then went into black leather knee-high boots, and black leather gloves with delicate silver embroidery of vines leading from the wrist up along the back of the fingers, it was certainly unconventional, but it still worked. He had also carefully applied a few faint silver lines along the right side of his face of thin silver vines coming up from under his collar, up his neck, and spreading out around his eye and cheek. The lines weren’t plainly visible, but the white dust infused in the paint made them reflect and shine underneath light, with even moonlight being enough to make them shimmer.

Laying on her bed after she was dressed and ready, the clock approaching six, Chrystal watched with amusement as Shina took the longest out of all of them to get ready, peering closely into the bathroom mirror and gently applying the silver vines to his face. She grinned when he met her eyes in the reflection, and when he glared she shrugged innocently and looked away, staring up at the roof with her hands behind her head and a small smile on her face. Chrystal was well aware that she could be a bit...tomboyish. Even back when she was a kid she’d preferred more rugged and rougher activities and hobbies than a lot of others, preferring climbing and combat training over pretty much anything else.  
But she also loved dancing, and had spent hours learning it back in Caelitum at a small studio that offered classes. Eventually she had figured out that pretty much anything that called upon rhythm and strength she enjoyed, it feeling natural to her no matter what it was.

There were plenty of theories that suggested that a person’s Semblance was based on their personality, and Chrystal wouldn’t be surprised if Wind Dance was proof of that theory. Her reflexes, her internal rhythm. Flexibility, agility. If Chrystal wanted to move, nothing could stop her, and nothing had ever been able to. She even walked gracefully, and it came naturally, being one of the people who’s Semblance was constantly active and didn’t turn off or need conscious awakening in order to use.

Wind Dance made her an unstoppable whirlwind of movement, graceful and agile, and it certainly fit in with her personality of being curious, impulsive, and...playful. Able to climb any surface, jump high enough to reach a third story window with barely any run-up…

Granted, she wasn’t going to be able to do much climbing while in the boots she was wearing tonight, but normally she’d be more than able to do it. It also didn’t matter how much she ate or how many periods of laziness she had, she never gained weight, her body determined to stay at a level of fitness that allowed her to use her Semblance to its best. The better in shape she got through training and exercise, the stronger her body remained no matter what she did.

Tacita often got playfully annoyed by it, the girl having had to work off her naturally more hourglass figure when they started training, but also knowing she’d never quite reach Chrystal’s natural levels of fitness.

Maybe it was a bit unfair, but Chrystal didn’t have it in herself to care that much. An advantage that _Tacita_ had was that her Semblance was growing stronger, developing the more she used it, meanwhile Chrystal’s didn’t seem to be advancing at all. She wasn’t getting any faster, or more flexible, or even more agile.

She tried not to let it get to her.

After all, she was badass, gorgeous, reasonably clever, fast, and the least disastrous bisexual on campus, so that all had to count up as a score total, right?

She sighed, shaking her head gently to push the annoying thoughts away before they drifted downwards, smiling fondly as Shina finished up.

Meanwhile Kylar and Tacita weren’t getting ready quite yet, and neither Shina or Chrystal wanted to be in the dorm for that, because knowing them there would be several...intermissions, in that process. And the two pseudo-siblings were totally okay with missing being in the same room as that type of smouldering tension.

There was a polite knock on the door, and Chrystal glanced up at the clock on the wall to see it was five minutes to six, and she gave an excited and happy smile as she waved to the others as she stood, quickly glancing at herself in the mirror and sliding a comb through her hair to work out the wrinkles from laying down, and then gently sliding the borrowed tiara into her head. Looking at herself for a few moments, she smiled in satisfaction and no small amount of shyness, unsure whether she pulled off this sort of outfit, and then skipped her way over to open the door, meeting eyes with a rather dashing Petyr whose immediately widened and a massive smile broke out on his face.

“...hi.” He managed to get out, though it was clear even to her that he was having trouble speaking, and she giggled in satisfied amusement as she looked over her shoulder and waved goodbye before stepping out and closing the door behind her, quickly glancing Petyr up and down and her eyes softening.

“Hi yourself.”

“You look...oh wow.” Petyr breathed out and took her hands, stepping back and looking at her properly, a small blush going over his face as he swallowed.

Giggling again, she let go of one of his hands in order to do a slow twirl for him. “I thought I’d try something outside of my normal style. Is...is it okay?”

Despite the confidence she put into her voice when she asked it, she was shy, but she’d always been good at hiding those sorts of emotions. She blushed slightly when he nodded almost reverently.

“You look...there aren’t even...wow.” Petyr’s smile went from excitement into adoration, a wave of confidence seeming to go through him as he twirled her again but into being next to him, squeezing her hand affectionately as they started the slow walk to the hall where the dance was being held, knowing the doors were already open for people to arrive but wanting to take it slowly.

“You look great too...never imagined you’d wear white, but it suits you more than my imagination could have come up with.” She smiled as she looked him up and down again. 

For the most part he was wearing a simple three-piece suit. White was the traditional formal colour of Atlas, and it made up most of the outfit, but surprising her were the details of almost prismatic colours to be found, with his tie and vest made out of a dust-infused material that shimmered in every colour, like crystals do, when under light.  
“I thought that something more crystalline would suit...felt appropriate.” Petyr blushed slightly but nodded in thanks. 

His long brown hair, so dark it was almost black and normally as long as Tacita’s, was tied back in a gorgeous and unique braid, a mixture of a more militaristic Atlas style but with flowing accents that were rather Mistral in appearance, as he attended Atlas academy but had been born in Haven. And by far the most shocking detail of his outfit were his eyes, where instead of his normal brown eyes he was wearing coloured contact lenses that had the same effect as the material of his tie and vest, making them shimmer in every colour underneath light.  
It was an utterly hypnotising get-up, and she found herself looking at him almost as much as he was looking at her.

Petyr was...a strange boy. As outgoing as Shina but without smooth charm, instead being a rambler in such a cheerful way it was honestly adorable, and he was clearly smarter than Kylar but seemed happy to let it be a background part of how his mind worked. Seeming more comfortable with machines than people, as his Semblance allowed him to communicate with them almost in a similar way he communicated with people.

He was excitable, and his mind fired off in strange directions a lot much like Tacita’s did, but he had a rare trait among extroverts in that he was able to silence himself immediately and listen intently when it came time to, and days later in conversation he would mention something related to something she had said, having clearly made sure to memorise even the small details and comments she’d say. It made her feel special, and important, and the fact she had clearly become important to a stranger so quickly warmed her up when she thought about it to a point her cheeks would tint pink, and she usually _never_ blushed.  
They made casual and happy conversation as they walked, Petyr telling her about what his teammates were planning for the dance, with only Kirian not having a date due to a disinterest in the entire affair. But instead of any sort of hostile or dismissive attitude towards it, the equally strange boy Kirian instead had a polite and appreciative disinterest, happy to go merely to watch the others enjoy themselves, and that being the only enjoyment he’d find in the event.

Kirian was Petyr’s mirror in many ways, and Chrystal had admitted to Petyr that Kirian unnerved her greatly with his detached but polite coldness, and Petyr had assured her that he had that effect on almost everybody. But it wasn’t a hostile detachment, it was simply how he was.  
After that, Chrystal had found herself able to talk to him, just as she was happy to talk to the other members of Team Sparks.  
And in exchange, Kirian was polite and _relatively_ friendly to her, she got the impression he was being as friendly as he was capable of.

Meanwhile Sunny and Zavraii hadn’t even slightly struggled to get dates to the dance, with Sunny having an impressive reputation in Atlas for his family legacy and skill, and Zavraii was simply just beloved there. Popular and friendly. Chrystal liked him a lot, but felt no sense of attraction there, because frankly Zavraii’s attitude reminded her a lot of Shina and that killed any possibility of attraction dead, considering that meant he basically reminded her of her ‘brother’.

But as they walked and talked, Chrystal tilted her head as she thought of something, and the moment he noticed he immediately fell quiet to listen to her thoughts, just as he always did.

She hummed and glanced over at him. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but...why _did_ you ask me?”

“I…” Petyr smiled shyly and sighed. “It’s a silly answer, I guess.”

“Considering I’m really happy to be here, I won’t mind.” She gave him a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand.

“Well...remember when we all went out to dinner that one time? My team, your team, and Irik’s team?”

“Yeah! That was a good night. I’ve never seen Boral drunk before.” Chrystal giggled happily, but then blinked when Petyr quickly nodded and gestured to her face.

“That. That right there. _That’s_ why. We were sitting there, a few seats away from each other and Irik was telling that story about almost drowning his ex-boyfriend? And you giggled so happily. And watching you, and hearing it...I knew I wanted to ask. If there wasn’t a ball, I would have asked you out anyway and been forced to think of something myself.”

Processing his answer, Chrystal’s eyes widened and she blushed brightly and looked down, her heart skipping a beat or two. “My...my laugh?”

“Your...light, I guess is the word I’d use. Sure, you’re fierce. Powerful. Gods, you can fight. And you’re intense. But then there are moments where you show this fierce and pure light.” Petyr nodded, squeezing her hand. “And it’s beautiful.”

Chrystal was quiet for a few moments, before she quickly checked the time on her scroll, feeling her heart skip a beat when she saw there was still half an hour until things truly started, and she took a deep breath of courage before taking his hand and pulling him behind one of the blocks of buildings, somewhere private and quiet, then facing him properly.

“Petyr?”

“Y-yes Chrystal?”

“...have you had your first kiss yet?”

Blinking in surprise at the question and feeling his own chest hammer a few beats, Petyr felt a wave of insecurity come over him as he shyly looked down and shook his head. “I’ve never even been on a date before.”

Looking at him in surprise for a moment as a pulse of sadness went through her, she steeled her courage and slowly took a step closer into his personal space.

“...kiss me.”

“I...huh?” Petyr immediately looked up again, his eyes widening, before his heart skipped again when he caught her glance down at his lips.

“Please?”

“I...you sure?”

“I haven’t been so sure of something in a long time. I’ll teach you.”

Unable to move for a few moments, a mixture of terrified shyness and also complete _awe_ going through him as he looked at her, all of her. At the soft warm look in her eyes, a wave of heat went through him when she slid her hands from gripping his own and instead rested them on his shoulders gently. He shakily put his hands on her waist, and with a final smile of consent and encouragement from her, he leaned in and kissed her. It was soft, and gentle, and Chrystal felt a shiver of happiness go through her at the adoring and sweetly gentle way he moved, as if afraid of hurting her or bothering her, and she pressed only slightly closer so that their fronts were lightly touching, her left hand going from his shoulder to around the side of neck as she reached down with her other hand, took one of his, and guided it from her waist to around her back.  
Another thrill went through her as she noticed that he was a fast learner, and she blushed when she felt him smile against her lips.

Neither of them were sure how long it lasted, but it remained gentle, and soft, and one of the most innocent kisses Chrystal had had in what felt like a long time, and when they eventually broke off slowly she rested her forehead against his and they looked into each others eyes, Petyr’s breaths coming fast and heavy though he was clearly trying to slow them down.

She giggled.

“Was that okay?”

“I...wow.” He let out a shaky breath, his eyes warm. “Didn’t feel like I ever imagined. I...definitely like kissing”

Unable to help herself at the way his voice was excitable yet quiet at the same time, she giggled brightly and nodded in agreement. “I really like kissing too. We should do it again sometime.”

“...when?”

“Now. Right now. Just as gently? Or would you like a bit more?” She asked him affectionately, happy to guide him and take it at any speed he wanted. She was just warm and happy to be close, to be...feeling the way she was.

“I’ll follow your lead…” He smiled, before one of his occasional waves of confidence went through him and, keeping his right hand on her back, he ever so slightly placed his left hand on the side of her face and cupped it, his heart skipping a beat when she leant into his touch and gave a relaxed sigh.

“If you let _me_ set the pace, we might not make it to the ball at all.” She whispered quietly, her eyes sparkling as his affection grew more confident, her arms around his shoulders and her hands clasped behind his neck lightly.

“That would be a mighty shame, because as clumsy as I am I’m told I’m a surprisingly good dancer.” Petyr smiled, resting his forehead against hers again and getting a smile from her.

“Then we shouldn’t be late, should we?” She breathed, before starting to lean in agonisingly slowly, whispering against his lips. “But a few more minutes won’t hurt.”

He pulled her into him, and she happily pressed closer, smirking in happiness when she felt him react to her being so close.

They were ten minutes late to the ball.

+=+=+

Making his way through the school dorms, Shina was tapping his hands on his leg in anxiety and apprehension as he walked. They were rare emotions from him, normally being excited and eager to throw himself into insane and new experiences, leaping into anything that could be a thrill or even a chaotic disaster. But no, tonight he was nervous. And, for perhaps the first time in his life, shy.  
Shina knew the reputation he’d developed, starting at Pharos at the age of fifteen. It was a deserved one, honestly, though none of his partners had seemed to mind, whether they be boy or girl, as he always made sure to be polite, honest, and respectful, making sure to treat every one of them as special. None of them were just markings on a bed post for him, he remembered every single one. Their names, their hobbies, their interests, everything he ever knew about them.

It was a strange way to make friends, but it worked out, and so as people got older and hormones began racing he’d had no shortage of partners once he had an established reputation as being an adoring and respectful lover. But, such reputations still change things, and he knew it had gradually made him rather unhealthy. Unsure how to develop friendships and bonds outside of...that sort of behaviour, he had ended up struggling a lot with his own identity and his personal internal relationship to even the idea of love and sex and friendship and how they were all related to each other.

And then his Semblance had awakened, and before he had any mastery over it he knew it reacted to strong emotions and passions, meaning there was every chance it could activate during intimacy and lust and the very _idea_ of hurting a partner scared him so much that he ended his habits immediately, and began working tirelessly on mastering the control of his Semblance.

While he hadn’t had many friends at Pharos, he’d _definitely_ made a friend in Coco Adel, who was very similar to him in a lot of ways. They were able to talk, and be honest about what they were each going through, without any chance of making the same mistake with each other considering she was the most confident lesbian he’d ever met.  
They were also able to bond over the fact they had a weak spot, one that they’d never compromise or harm.

Shina had Chrystal, and Coco had Velvet.

When Chrystal had begun to follow Shina’s habits, though far more carefully and not as enthusiastically with her time still dedicated to exploring and climbing, Coco had eyed her up a bit as potential excitable fun, meanwhile Shina...liked Velvet.

Not in desire, or playful lust, he _liked_ Velvet. She was kind, and unfailingly gentle no matter what the situation or the time. Timid, sweet, _clever_ and unbelievably charming in her softness, Velvet and Shina had spoken a lot, for hours at a time, talking about everything and anything, and his crush on her had only grown stronger and stronger.

But he and Coco made a deal; Coco wouldn’t touch Chrystal and Shina wouldn’t touch Velvet, until each of them had straightened themselves out and figured out the issues and damage they’d suffered due to their habits. They both had a lot of internal work to do and they’d known it, so they promised not to hurt the other one’s best friend with their own damage. By the time Shina arrived at Beacon, a year after Coco did, he was well on his way to doing so. He hadn’t slept with anyone or even fooled around since his Semblance had awakened, and by the time of his first year at Beacon he’d managed to contain it to the unique level system he’d figured out it obeyed.  
The twelve cuts. It was hard for him to explain to others, but he could _feel_ the different degrees to which he could force his Semblance to go. And he’d mastered keeping the First Cut closed, there was no chance of it waking up by accident now. And his internal identity issues were slowly straightening out, especially once he met Kylar and Tacita and was able to watch them and see how they were with each other.

Meanwhile Coco had begun to sort herself out as well, just as carefully and using her bedrock of self-confidence as fuel and drive for the process, and she had begun to date and play around a bit again, citing that she was going to try and get better through ‘a trial by fire’, and apparently it was working out since she seemed far happier and more secure whenever Shina and her found moments to hang out and _talk_ properly.

Now he was just in second-year, he and Coco had talked, and she had given him her seal of approval. And she had expressed in a surprising and uncharacteristic display of sincerity that she was proud of him for figuring himself out.  
So, after years of hiding it away and keeping it at bay, Shina gave into his crush and asked out Velvet, and she had said yes before he’d even finished asking the question that he had rehearsed a hundred times. Which had thrown him for a loop, not expecting such enthusiasm, but she’d been pulled away to class before they’d had a chance to truly talk about it. A few shy conversations ever since, and they’d agreed on a time and reassured each other they really did want it to happen.

Frankly Shina had no idea how to process, but he’d been playing it off cooly to his team as best he could, though it had clearly not been working if Chrystal’s jokes and comments were any indication. Despite her teasing, he knew she was happy for him, having known his soft spot for the gentle bunny for years, and Chrystal had been close every step of the way as he’d tried to sort himself out and put his identity back together when it came to lust, love, friendship...connection in general.

And now, dressed and done-up in such a way that he was getting _deeply_ appreciative looks from a lot of the passing students whose tastes went towards men, he found himself knocking on the door of Team CFVY, answered by the imposing figure of Yatsuhashi, one of the few people in the school who towered over Shina, easily breaking 7’0” and built of pure solid muscle, being in the top ranks in the school in terms of pure physical strength alongside Nora Valkyrie, Irik Grivlock, and Lelise Knave.

Yatsuhashi regarded him for a few moments with a raised eyebrow before giving a friendly grin and nod of approval. “You look cool. Nice vest.”

“Thanks, man. You heading to the ball as well?” Shina smiled, raising his eyebrows and getting a nod in response from the gentle giant.

“Yeah. Getting ready soon. Velvet’s almost ready, but can we have a word?”

Nodding, having expected it, Shina took a step back so the other boy could take a step outside into the corridor and close his dorm room door behind him. Shina wasn’t particularly worried, despite the man’s imposing figure Yatsuhashi was one of the most reserved and contemplative people he knew, friendly and protective even though he rarely spoke.

“Look man, I’m not going to give you the ‘don’t hurt her’ speech. You’re a cool guy. Coco hasn’t spilled many beans, but she’s vouched for you and that’s good enough. You and your team are all a good sort, done some good stuff. But, and I promise Coco hasn’t spilled much, you going to be okay with this? You ready?”

“I...yeah.” Shina sighed, resisting to cross his arms nervously and instead sliding them into the pockets of his pants. He gave a confident nod. “I am. I’m not perfect, not yet, but I’m working on it every day and I’m...going to use every day of trying I’ve done so far to give her a good night. I can do it.”

Yatsuhashi regarded him quietly for a few moments, studying his eyes and looking for any sign of insecurity or deception, before nodding, satisfied. “I don’t want either of you hurt. That girl’s a sister to me, and if you got hurt it’d undo a lot of the healing you’ve done. So just, be careful. Keep it in mind?”

“Of course. You got it, man. I give you my word.”

“Then that’s a good word. Alright, she should be ready in another minute.” Yatsuhashi nodded again, before offering his arm for Shina to grip, which he did so in a warrior’s grasp, giving each other confident grins.

“Oh and Shina?”

“What’s up?”

“Considering I’m taking Ursa to the ball tonight, thanks for getting her out of those caves. You guys _saved lives_ the other day. I owe you.” Yatsuhashi said seriously, putting emphasis on the last three words and giving Shina a look that said there was no debate or refusal of it, and Shina gripped his arm tighter in acknowledgement for a few moments before they both let go.

Almost going to speak again, they were interrupted by a voice on the other side of the door as Coco shouted out.

“If you two are done doing Man To Man masculinity bullshit, it’s time to make Shina drool now!”

Smirking Yatsuhashi clapped Shina on the shoulder before opening his dorm room door again and stepping inside, before moving to the side so Velvet could step forward shyly, trying to keep her head held high confidently but a shy blush already present on her features that she was trying to keep at bay.

It was a unique outfit, much like his own was, as she wore a layered arrangement. The bottom layer was a tight crimson outer corset, slightly shorter than usual in order to expose her midriff and her powerful toned core, with a pattern of black swirls along it. A dark crimson skirt with thicker black swirls embroidered into it went down to just above her knees, straightened but ready to wirl when she moved, and a white sash was tied around her waist. The top layer was a cape, clasped together by a series of three clasps that went down her collar, not low enough that it blocked the view of her corset, but enough that it was also held in place. The material was black, with patterns of roses in dark red, Chrystal having clearly told Coco about the vines and leaves theme that Sketch were going with, and the inner lining was a dark dark silver. Black stockings, and tall black heels completed the outfit.

Standing in front of each other, they took in each other's outfits slowly, each of them unable to speak as they stared at each other with wide eyes and their eyes roamed over each other, with the rest of Team CFVY standing back in the dorm watching in quiet amusement.

Taking a slow and steady breath, Shina was the first to speak.

“You look...incredible.”

“...thank you...” Velvet blushed deeply, shyly stroking the material of her cape with her fingers before self-consciously running her hands down her corset. “I’ve...never worn this sort of thing...before.”

“...it... _really_ suits you...a lot.” He blinked, needing to take another deep and slow breath.

“T-thanks. You too. Not this sort of thing I mean. Yours, I mean. So I mean, you look…” Velvet stammered, wringing her hands in front of herself and looking down embarrassed, before smiling when Shina offered his hand.

“...shall we?”

“I’d...yes. Please. Can we?”

At that, Coco rolled her eyes and put her hand over her face. “Okay, both of you, go. This is cute and all but I might throw up. Goooo.”

Looking over her shoulder and grinning excitedly at her team leader, a wave of confidence went through Velvet as her friend’s reassurance and she took Shina’s hand, the two of them heading out and Fox Alistair closing the door behind them, giving one last wink to Velvet who blushed brightly but didn’t say anything.  
Holding Velvet’s hand lightly, Shina happily walked slowly with her along the corridors and then out into the darkening sky, the two of them walking quietly at first but eventually conversation picked up as they grew more comfortable and confident, though Velvet remained shy even as Shina’s confidence started to kick in. He was outgoing, not like she was, but he was also friendly and not at all obnoxious like other extroverts like Irik or Nora could be, always giving encouraging and attentive smiles when the other person was talking and clearly often resisting the urge to interrupt with whatever he wanted to burst in with.

She remembered how boisterous he’d been back in Pharos when they were younger, always so hyperactive and a ball of energy that was contagious, just being around him had always made her feel more confident and energetic, like it unlocked a door within herself that let her step up. Maybe not in something like battle or training, but just in conversation and reaching out.

By the time it was her last year before graduating to Beacon, they had spent hours talking regularly, walking around the parks and staying on campus late to just sit against the trees and talk about anything and everything.

While she was happy to be his friend, by the time they had reached that point he had started to make her heart hammer in her chest, and it had hurt when she had graduated and known it would be a full year before she saw him again.

By the time she did, he was so much more focused, and confident, and her feelings came rushing to the surface as she watched him. A team leader! She never could have imagined it, but he was doing so well, working so hard. It was hard not to fall for him, truly. The fire, the energy, the dedication and determination. He was a beacon of inspiring light to anyone who realised they should pay attention. Inspiring his teammates, inspiring his classmates, even being the sort of person who could push Pyrrha Nikos to her limits both in combat but also in integrity and focus.

And...he looked at her. Nobody looked at her, people looked at Coco or Fox, and the only times people _did_ look at her they only seemed to look at her ears and acknowledge her as a Faunus. But she was used to that, and while it still hurt sometimes to be the shadow of Team CFVY she had forced it to stop bothering her on a deeper level.

But Shina looked at her. All of Team SKTC were nice, though Tacita was a bit strange, and they were all happy to talk and hang out whenever they bumped into each other.

Shina _looked_ at her.

And there had always been something in his eyes when he did it. Whenever she’d asked Coco about it, her friend had always laughed as if amused and baffled at something and then shaken her head.

The sky was gradually darker as they walked at slow paces to talk, slowly regaining the momentum and...closeness, in the conversation just like the ones they used to have, when Velvet wrapped both her arms around one of his and looked up at him. “Thank you for asking me, Shina. I’ve...missed you.”

“...I’ve missed you too.” Shina gave her a soft smile, his eyes sparkling with that strange shine once again. “You look beautiful.”

“...thank you...I wanted to look nice. I wanted to look...good. For this.” _‘For you.’_ She finished the thought inside her head.

Sliding his arm so he was holding her hand again, he slowly spun her to face him, and he looked her up and down with shining eyes that she could swear smouldered slightly, but her eyes must have been playing tricks on her.

Shina swallowed, looking her in the eyes. “You’re one of the most beautiful people I know, Velvet.”

“...that’s...nice of you to say. But…” She blushed, biting her lip timidly.

“There isn’t really a ‘but’, with it.” Shina chuckled, stepping to her so they could walk side by side again.

“...you’re one of the most handsome people I know, too.” She whispered, loud enough for him to hear but not so loud anyone else would have been able to. “...always have been.”

Too busy looking away shyly, she stood no chance of noticing his breath catch, but she felt him squeeze her hand affectionately, running his thumb over the back of her palm as they made their way to the dance hall, the doors open and decorated.  
Plenty of couples were already inside, including Kylar and Tacita who were dancing slowly, Tacita unsurprisingly seeing them coming and the two of them gave them wide smiles as they entered, Velvet waving shyly while Shina nodded.  
Tilting his head as he listened to the slow song that was playing, nearing its end, he nodded and smiled in satisfaction, looking to her.

“Shall we grab a quick something to drink? The next song starts soon and I…” He hesitated, looking deeply into her rich brown eyes and making her gasp. “I’d love a dance, if you’ll have me.”

“...I’d...love to.” She blushed, looking down at the floor shyly as they made their way over to the drinks table and grabbing drinks, just something to sip as the song slowly finished, and a new one began, just as slow.

Smiling at her confidently, Shina led her onto the dancefloor and spun her into his arms, earning a squeak from her as he caught her with a hand around her waist and the other holding her hand.

“I...don’t really know how to dance.” She sighed, looking away, before her eyes widened as his hand left her waist for his fingers to softly stroke her jaw and guide her face to look back at him. Smiling warmly, he shook his head.

“It’s not so much the dance I’m interested in. It’s...you. Just being close.” Despite the warm and confident smile on his face, inside he almost exploded with nerves, but his impulsive and restless nature had won out, anxiety be damned.

Her eyes widened and her breath caught as she looked at him. Even without the formal outfit, he was gorgeous, and everyone in the school knew it. The fact he had asked _her_ had gotten her plenty of almost hostile looks from other girls over the past couple of weeks, but the glow of happiness had her not even slightly caring. But her breath caught, and her voice was barely a whisper.

“...me?...”

“You. For...a long time now.” Shina’s eyes were shining brightly with that look he always gave her, a small smile on his lips that was almost intimate.

“...me?” She whispered again, past a point she’d blush and instead she merely stared, the two of them still slowly moving to the music in perfect rhythm.

“You.” He nodded.

There were quite a few moments of silence as she simply stared at him, her mind merely static as anxious and uncomprehending electricity sparked through it in enough waves that constructive thought was impossible, her skin buzzing and flushing warm and then cold and then warm again as her body couldn’t decide whether to be breathless or to be breathing rapidly. And all through it, he simply watched her as he always did, patiently and...intimately, as they danced. That was the word she could finally use to describe the way he looked at her, a description she’d been struggling to find for a long time because she’d been in denial of it.

Intimate.

Her body and mind finally deciding what to do and how to cooperate, she nodded slowly.

“...me too. With you.”

Shina blinked, his body and brain far more used to processing anxiety and shock far faster than hers, so it wasn’t as many moments of the same sort of reaction before he let out a slow breath.

“...really?”

She nodded, at first slightly but then firmly, her eyes sparkling as she finally, after so much time, let herself look at him the same way he looked at her. She had always wanted to, deep inside, but he was her friend, and she hadn’t wanted to ruin it. But now she looked at him, and he looked at her. In stories she had always blushed and scoffed when they described how two people could look at each other and everything else around them ceased to exist. She knew it was dramatic and over-romantic, but sweet all the same. But as the two of them looked at each other, dancing slowly just as other partners were, she didn’t even notice or remember that they were in a room at all.

“...since Pharos.” She whispered, a strange confidence going through her as she _knew_ they were looking at each other the same way.

“Me too. Laying under the trees talking...”

“The lunches.” She smiled brightly as she went through the memories. All the times they hung out that she had quietly wished were dates but knew they weren’t, having no way of knowing he’d been having the same wish.

“Your first photos out in the trees. You took pictures of blue jays in their nest.”

“...you _remember_ that?” She whispered with wide eyes, and he nodded warmly.

“The look of joy and pride on your face? I’ll never forget it.”

“Just like I’ll never forget watching you determined to climb the crevice near Jyln near the mountains, you remember?” She smirked

“I hated that crevice. I still can’t reach the top.” Shina scowled playfully, but it turned into a grin.

“You grumbled so much.” She giggled. “You kept falling, but you kept trying. I took photos.”

“I know.” He grinned, looking down and shaking his head in amusement.

Quietly, in her mind, she thought of the files of photos she’d printed out and saved over the years since she had built her camera. And, in a folder she kept in the back, how she had kept all the photos the two of them had taken together. The photos of him, the ones she’d let him take of her, the ones they’d taken together or Coco had taken of them with that smirk on her face that she hadn’t interpreted at the time.

“I made sure never to forget any of it.” He whispered, and she sighed in agreement, pressing slightly closer to him and blushing when his hand on the back of her waist pulled her slightly closer.

“Me too.” A moment of bravery struck him, and he threw caution to the wind as he kissed the top of her head, making her shiver happily.

“...thank you for inviting me, Shina. I...I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’ve wanted this for...a long time.” She whispered, nuzzling into his shoulder but only for a few moments before she pulled up so they could keep dancing, and he smiled at her widely and warmly.

“Me too.”

As the song ended, they left the dance floor hand in hand, not entirely in the mood to dance to anything more energetic as they instead went to the side of the hall to keep talking, pressed close together and comfortable as they did, waving to their friends as each one arrived and eventually wandering their way over to talk to everyone, still holding hands and never straying far. As part of the rather large group of friends, both Chrystal and Coco watched them with loving and happy smiles, the two of them sharing a look and nodding to each other in acknowledgement and pride.  
Eventually, once Cypher arrived, Coco immediately stood to make her way over, but not before quickly leaning in to kiss Velvet on the forehead affectionately.

She confidently made her way over to where Cypher had grabbed a drink, the girl dressed in a similar outfit to her combat uniform; Insanely tight leather pants, the white boots, the vest.

But there were alterations; instead of leather, most of it was almost a tight silk or other soft material that moulded to her form far more attractively. Leather was protective, and padded thick, so her combat uniform was _tight_ but not revealing of her silhouette.

But this time it was. Cypher was considered perhaps the most attractive girl in her year, the same way Coco was considered the most attractive girl in _her_ year. Cypher’s vest was tight, and the laces were tight as always but Coco could make out a bare glimpse of Cypher’s pink bra underneath it and it made her eyes smoulder as she approached, with the mute girl seeing her coming and finishing her drink, placing her cup down in preparation as she stepped forward, not resisting at all when Coco slowed down, stopping just in front of the girl and stepping ever so slightly into her personal space.

“You weren’t wrong about it being tight…”

Cypher shrugged, flicking her eyes over Coco’s own outfit and her breath clearly caught in her throat, making Coco give a smirk that was almost _predatory_ , before her eyebrows raised when the other girl gave one in return, her eyes flashing. A challenge.

As Coco took the girl’s hand in hers, guiding her to the dancefloor, the look she gave Cypher was a clear one.

Challenge accepted.

Velvet giggled in amusement as she watched Coco and Cypher dancing, the two of them excellent at it, and while Coco had been taught to dance and taken to it with fervor it was almost as if Cypher was a natural, so it was evenly matched and both girls were clearly revelling in it, the competition for who was to...lead, was a fierce one that had both looking at each other with fire. Squeezing Shina’s hand, she looked next to him to where he was chatting with Ysgar of Team Bright, getting his attention so he looked over at her. She didn’t really have anything to say, she just wanted to look at him for a moment, and he clearly didn’t mind as he gave her a smile, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes before they went back to their conversations, Velvet taking the opportunity to get to know Lelise of Team Cold, who had gone to the ball alone but wasn’t bothered by it, not being much of a dancer.

“So how strong _are_ you?” Velvet asked in curiosity as the other girl finished the small cupcake she’d grabbed from a nearby counter. Lelise tilted her head and thought over it as she chewed and swallowed, before frowning.

“We don’t really know. It’s hard to measure it. I smash through concrete buildings as I run without really slowing down, I’ve torn through solid steel before, and I once punched a beowulf so hard that the trees around us flattened in like a twenty meter radius. That’s pretty much why they wanted me to clear the cave-ins.”

“That’s...insane.” Velvet raised her eyebrows, shaking her head in amazement. “Not something I can copy with my own Semblance. I’m almost envious.”

“I’m pretty envious too, you know.” Lelise gave her a playful look, before her eyes flicked to where Velvet and Shina were holding hands.

Blushing, Velvet glanced away before glancing back. “You and Shina?”

“What?! Nah, no. Just what you two clearly have between you. He looks at you like Kylar looks at Tacita. It’s pretty sickening, but…” Lelise shrugged, grabbing another cupcake. “But it’s good.”

“We’re not…” Velvet blushed and squeaked, shaking her head. “I mean, he and I..it’s not... _we_ aren’t.”

“Why the hell not?”

“...just...never told...it...you know.” Velvet looked down shyly, before looking up at Lelise’s sigh and eye roll.

“Want a brawler’s advice?”

“...sure?” Velvet asked curiously, but with a shy smile as Lelise glanced between her and Shina.

“Go for it. Please. Just be happy.” Lelise sighed, before casting a look over to Pyrrha Nikos and the fact she was alone. “Just do it. Got for what you want.”

Following her stare, Velvet figured out what was going on and she sighed sadly, before a wave of confidence went through her, a wave of reassurance, and she nodded, taking a deep breath and coming to a brave decision, the sort of one that was uncharacteristic for her but god damn right now it was necessary. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted it, the more she _needed_ it. Finally letting herself think about it after all this time had her body and mind feel like they were on fire, and when her eyes clearly began to smoulder Lelise gave her an encouraging nod. She squeezed Shina’s hand again to get his attention, and when he looked over at her he clearly saw _something_ in her eyes, because his own eyes widened and his grip on her hand tightened slightly.

“Can we talk?” She asked, her voice heavy, and when he nodded she guided him outside onto the balcony, him not saying a word as his mind fired off in electric curiosity.

Reaching out onto the balcony just as Jaune of Team JNPR came in, and finding it empty, Velvet took another deep breath as she guided Shina around a corner and spun him to face her, squaring her shoulders.

“I really like you Shina. A lot.”

“...I…” Shina blinked, before his own eyes lit up and he smiled, still not entirely sure how to respond but knowing how he wanted to. “I like you too. Definitely. For a while now.”

“Good.”

That was all she said before she immediately pushed him against the wall gently, stepped close with her hands on his chest, and kissed him. While it was gentle at first, she deepened it when he reciprocated, and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close with only the one arm, as the other one went up to stroke her hair, finding a spot just behind her bunny ears that had her mewl into his mouth as electric tingles went through her, and she pressed even closer. As she teased his lips with her tongue, tantalisingly offering, she gasped in surprise when he spun them and pressed her against the wall, his own tongue meeting hers and having her gasp again.  
It wasn’t surprising that he was an excellent kisser, and Coco had taught her as best she could. Velvet wasn’t an innocent virgin by any means, she had experience and Coco had definitely tried to help her refine more advanced techniques, but she couldn’t match Shina and she quickly surrendered to him, happily jumping and wrapping her legs around his waist when he lifted her to press her against the wall.

Briefly pausing the kiss a few minutes later and pulling his head back, he looked into her eyes, his face still so close she’d be able to kiss him again with the slightest tilt of her head.

Simply looking at each other, her legs still around his waist, she smiled more brightly and more fiery than he had ever seen, and just as he went to say something she leant down and bit his neck. Not hard, but enough to leave a mark as he almost collapsed into the feeling, still easily holding her up as she eventually let go.

“Fuck I’ve wanted to do that for so long…” Velvet sighed in satisfaction as she then giggled and kissed his nose cutely, snapping him out of his bite-induced haze and having him look at her.

“Where on _earth_ did that come from?” He breathed.

“I have been told on a few occasions recently…” She panted, having to shake her head to clear it and focus. “To go for what I want. To be brave.”

“...and what do you want, Velvet?” Shina spoke quietly, slowly leaning down to place kisses along her jaw, going down to her neck and having her shiver and dig her fingers into his neck.

“You to either be patient enough to take me back to the hotel room Coco had the clearly accurate foresight to book for me, or you to be _impatient_ and let me get at that _damn belt buckle_.”

Pausing in his kisses as his mind proceeded to shut down, Shina blinked a few times as heat rushed through his body, briefly forgetting to breath.  
None of this physical experience was even slightly new to him, not really, but the fact it was Velvet. The fact it was the two of them. The sheer intimate and almost _pleading_ way she had said it, with enough emotion she’d been shivering at the words came out…  
Straightening back up slowly, he looked into her eyes and saw that despite the confidence in her voice her eyes were full of insecurity, but also shining with so much else. The heat and lust and desire was still rushing through both of them, but their eyes met and years of yearning and affection and connection swirled together, and without saying a word they both closed the distance and kissed again, deeply and adoringly before Shina put her down and smiled, whispering against her lips.

“I can be patient.”

+=+=+

The ball was close to winding up and ending, couples leaving one by one in a slow stream, while Tacita and Kylar stood out on the balcony, resting against the bannister and looking up at the moon high in the sky. They were close enough their shoulders were touching, and every minute or so they turned to give each other a soft kiss, free to have a night they didn’t feel any compulsion for restraint, Tacita often resting her head on his shoulder for a few moments at a time. They didn’t speak, they didn’t feel any need to, simply being next to each other was enough as they looked out at the sky, Tacita doing her best to count the stars while knowing she’d never be able to, while Kylar looked up at the moon, his eyes occasionally going to where the Amity Arena was hovering high in the sky, thankfully not obstructing the view.  
Hearing a chuckle from the doorway behind them, Kylar looked over his shoulder to where Professor Ozpin had clearly glanced at them out of the corner of his eye while passing by the door, and Kylar met his eyes as the man had started to turn away. Pausing when he was glanced at, Ozpin gave Kylar a wide and warm smile and toasted with his cup.

“Be happy, Mr Goroesi, Ms Everweb.”

“We’re doing our best sir.” Tacita smiled without looking over her shoulder, not physically anyway, and the man’s smile filled with more warmth.

“I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but there are many moments the two of you remind me of your mother and father, Kylar. When they were students.”

“You think so? Mum talks a bit about it when I ask, but dad mostly just talks about the training and missions.” Kylar tilted his head, a smile inviting Ozpin to come out and stand on the balcony with them. The professor hummed in understanding as he took another sip of his drink, clearly some of the punch, and he stepped out onto the balcony but made sure not to intrude too much.

“Ms Aierna was a warm and affectionate girl. She warmed up your father a great deal during their time here. It’s the greatest luck they were placed on a team together. I do see a fair bit of them in how you two are.”

Turning to face him properly, Tacita smiled and nodded, taking Kylar’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “Did you have someone during your time as a student, Professor?”

The man chuckled warmly, his eyes going far away for a moment and he gave a small smile and slight shake of his head as he answered. “I’m afraid not, Ms Everweb. But that was alright. I made plenty of friends along the way, and none would be traded for what could have been instead. I hope the two of you feel the same way in future days. Hold onto each other, hold onto your team, and hold onto your classmates. All of your friendships are good to see.”

Pausing for a moment as he thought over it, Kylar nodded confidently with a frown which turned into a certain smile. “We’ll all stick together. And I think deep down everyone knows that.”

“Good. The strength of a Huntsman is not in how many Grimm they kill, you two. It is also in the bravery and camaraderie they inspire in others to stand against that darkness _together_. It’s why students such as the two of you give an old man hope. Standing together.”

“We always will.” Tacita squeezed Kylar’s hand and gave him a loving look, which he returned and quickly pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

Professor Ozpin chuckled in fondness before stepping back. “Mr Goroesi, am I right in remembering your parents arrive in a week?”

“Yes sir.”

“I look forward to seeing them, it’s been too long. But, for now, enjoy your night you two. I shan’t intrude any further. Good evening.”

As the headmaster wandered back inside, placing a now empty cup down on a table and heading his way to where some of the other professors were standing and talking, Kylar and Tacita glanced at each other with raised eyebrows, before Tacita merely shrugged and turned back to watching the stars, opening up her Semblance as much as she could in order to observe them all. Kylar, for his part, watched Professor Ozpin for a few more moments before humming in thought, eventually turning back to look at the moon.

“...is it just me, or is Professor Ozpin gradually growing weirder?”

“No, no he’s getting weirder.” Tacita chuckled, shrugging again. “Whatever’s going on behind the scenes is really messing with him. I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he is. Between him, the General, and the other Professors, they’ll be alright. But, we’ll keep an eye out, as per usual these days.” Kylar sighed, watching the moon and studying the chunks of it that were broken off, the clear sky allowing him a good view of them.

“We’re not the saviors of the school, my love. Remember? It’s not our job. Not until we graduate.” Tacita said quietly, her voice wistful as she got lost in the view of the sky above.

Looking down and nodding, exhaustion coming over his features briefly, Kylar tapped his hands on the bannister before looking out over the rooftops, thinking over the past months while Tacita rested her head on his shoulder while still focusing on the skies above.

“Kylar my love?”

“Yes sweetheart?”

“I hope you know that I love you. And, just like Professor Ozpin said, we’ll stand together.”

“I love you too.” Kylar looked to her with a smile, reaching his hands up to cup her face, running her thumbs along her cheeks lightly. “We’ll stand together. All of us.”

After a moment of just looking at each other, Tacita leaned in and kissed him softly, a few moments she stepped closer, and he pulled her in tighter. As the kiss continued to deepen, Kylar reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gravity crystal and crushed it, throwing a hand out to make the doors leading out to the balcony close so he could pull her in hard enough that she moaned into his mouth and grabbed into him so tightly it threatened to tear his shirt.

But then she stopped, and immediately pulled back, looking over at the broadcast tower across the city with wide eyes, Kylar immediately looking over as well.

“What’s wrong?”

“Gunshots.”

Looking at each other, they pulled the doors open again and made their way inside, glancing around to try and find Shina and Chrystal before Tacita just sighed and shook her head, having looked over the entire room. “They’re already gone, their dates too.”

“Figures. Let’s go.”

Making their way out of the dance hall, they quickly made their way back to their dorm at a fast run, Tacita taking her heels off so she was able to. Her dress was off before the dorm room door was closed and she threw on a shirt and jeans, along with her basic boots, as Kylar snatched up his staff and tossed her bow and quiver to her which she slung on as they left, slamming the dorm room door behind them and running out to make their way across the city.  
As they ran, Kylar slid a hand down his staff and absorbed air, electric, and gravity dust, frowning in pained concentration as he combined them as they ran at full speed before infusing them both, the combination boosting their speed to an absurd degree as they were halfway across the city in a matter of minutes, Tacita using the adrenaline-like energy from the electric dust to expand her range to its maximum no matter how tiring it was to do so.

She watched as one of the tower windows shattered and a figure in black emerged from it, almost at the end of her range, and she drew a lightning arrow from her quiver and spoke up. “Hon, I need a gravity accelerator.”

“Got it.” Absorbing more dust, Kylar drew in a mixture of gravity and electric dust, the both of them using the last burst of their infusion to jump up onto a nearby rooftop so Tacita had a clear view.

Kylar, panting from the effort, placed the accelerator in front of her, a glyph almost exactly like the one he had placed in front of her in the caves, except with lightning instead of ice. More speed, more velocity, more piercing power.  
As the figure ran and hopped their way across the rooftops close to four hundred meters away, Tacita twisted a dial on her bow to increase the draw weight to close to its maximum, the dust-infused drawstring tightening without snapping, and she used every ounce of her developed muscle to draw and fire, quickly following up the first one with two more.  
The arrows shot faster across the rooftop than any bullet could dream of, accelerated by Kylar’s Semblance and also being infused with lightning dust themselves, so the figure didn’t have the normal time to react and dodge that a Huntsman normally would. The first arrow struck home, penetrating deep into their thigh, while the second dug into their waist, but still their aura didn’t break, and knowing it was coming they ducked out of the way of the third arrow and a hand shot out, flinging something their way.

Tacita’s eyes focused as saw the spray of black glass daggers flying towards them, and after shoving Kylar aside she easily drew at a rapid pace and shot all seven of them out of the air before they reached them, but barely, the last dagger dropping and clanging so close it was able to clang to a stop at her feet.

As the figure dropped down off the rooftops and left her sight range, she sighed in frustration and let her Semblance return to its normal range, her head throbbing from the strain as Kylar put his hand on her shoulder.

“You okay?”

“I got them but...they’re gone. I didn’t even break their aura.”

“What??? Those shots bring down Death Stalkers when we time them right!” Kylar’s eyes widened as he looked at where the figure had been running, before back to Tacita who was resting her eyes, clicking the switch on her bow to fold it back up.

“They do. But...their aura stayed up...” Tacita shook her head in shock slowly, lowering her bow and letting it hand by her side. "I saw it shimmer, but it didn't break..."

“Shit…” Kylar let himself think about it for a few moments before he shook his head and looked towards the tower. “Come on, let’s check things at the tower.”

Nodding, Tacita stretched her arms and they both hopped down from the roof to jog their way to the tower doors, watching as they opened and both the General and Ruby Rose stepped out, Ruby looking a bit worse for wear.  
Skidding to a stop in front of them, Tacita looked between them both while Kylar looked right at the General, standing up straighter.  
“General Ironwood, sir. We saw them, heading back towards the tower.”

The General merely raised an eyebrow, meanwhile Ruby blinked and her eyebrows raised. “Did you get ‘em? I don’t know how they got away."

"That’s a concerning point, honestly.” Tacita sighed at Ruby, before looking to the General. “Sir, I put two dust-enhanced arrows into them and didn’t even break their aura.”

“Yes, the fact that whoever they are cleared out my men like it was nothing certainly implies their tenacity. Good work for trying to engage, all three of you. You did well just to try, but I'm afraid you're all waiting _here_ to speak to Professor Ozpin, he and I are likely going to have plenty of questions.”

The three of them nodded, Kylar giving the nervous looking Ruby a reassuring smile, and the younger girl nodded back.  
“You guys are from Team Sketch, right?”

“Yep.”

“You guys get into as much trouble as me and _my_ friends do. Thanks for the assist though. Just a shame they got away….” Ruby frowned, looking down and clearly beating herself up internally, so Kylar reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You scared them off, and they got shot. That’s more of a victory than it is a defeat. You’re Ruby Rose, yeah?”

“Yep...that’s me.” She gave a shy smile, her mind clearly still thinking over what happened.

“We’ve heard about a fair few of the scraps you and the rest of Team RWBY have gotten into.” Kylar chuckled, squeezing her shoulder as they stood together, the General having stepped away to call Ozpin, and his own men. “I think your victories are starting to stack up. So don’t be hard on yourself.”

Pausing for a few moments, Ruby gave a despondent chuckle and shrug, looking up at the much taller boy. “...thanks. You’re Kylar, right? Weiss has mentioned your family a few times when she’s looked at you. Gives a bit of a huff. So I kinda got the name to your face down by now.”

Kylar snorted and shook his head, rolling his eyes. “The Schnee girl? Yeah that figures. But yeah, I’m Kylar, and this is Tacita.”

“The bow girl? You’re almost higher on the marksman board than _me_!” Ruby’s eyes widened and she gave an excited smile at Tacita, who smiled widely at the girl’s excitement and nodded, gesturing to the quiver on her back and the retracted bow still in her hand.

“That’s me. I'm catching up though, so please feel threatened. For my ego's sake.”

“Can I see your bow? I haven’t seen one yet, no-one uses them anymore.” Ruby’s excitement kicked up a notch, and Kylar suspected it was mostly just excess adrenaline from her recent fight coming out. Laughing in amusement, Tacita clicked open her bow and handed it over, the other girl taking it almost reverently as she looked over it.

“Wow...it’s so much lighter than I expected. And it wirelessly connects to the quiver? You can rotate it to select which type of arrow? That’s amazing! That’s so smart!” Ruby gushed as she turned the weapon over in her hands, gently hitting the switch to turn it on and then looking up as the quiver on Tacita’s back hummed to life as well, the two parts of the same weapon connecting.

Grinning in excitement, Ruby turned it off and kept looking over it. “Does it have a close-combat form though? I’d hope so.”

“Sure. I don’t often need to use it though.” Tacita gently took the bow back from the girl and clicked another switch, the bow almost looking to snap in half as the string detached from one side and was sucked into the other one, before the now two halves shifted and folded within her grips until they formed two curved swords, one for each hand, and each one had one of the original dials on it. Though now instead of one dial changing the arrow type, and the other changing the draw weight, each dial could now extend or retract the length of the blades.

Looking at it, if it was possible to have heart eyes Ruby would definitely have them, her hands in front of her chest as she laughed in excitement. “That’s so cool! Ahh I love it. What’s its name? Mine’s Crescent Rose.”

“Penumbral Ethos.” Tacita laughed, clicking the two blades together and twisting them, the parts immediately folding and reconnecting, turning back into its bow form, and then a different click retracted it into its packed up form that was easier to hold.

“That’s such a cool name!”

While Tacita and Ruby gushed over each other’s weapons, with Tacita looking over Crescent Rose a few moments later, Kylar stepped up next to the General.

“Yet another event in a long line of things, isn’t it sir?”

“Quite right, Mr Goroesi.” The man looked tired, and he sighed. “It’s...quite a time to be in Vale, it has to be said. You and your team have done a lot of good here. What you did on your mission in Quadrant 5 was commendable, and jumping into action right now shows dedication and initiative. I’m sure Professor Ozpin is very proud of you.”

“Thank you sir.”

“But for now, it’s a mess to clean up and a culprit to catch. You’re _sure_ you got hits in?”

“Positive. Electric dust enhanced arrows with my Semblance tripling their velocity.”

“Then that will have definitely left deep wounds, aura or not. You’ve given us a potential clue, making this easier.” The General looked over at him and gave him a nod. “Good work. But for now, let’s see what Ozpin can do about it. I hope you had no intention of going back to the party, Kylar. I think we’re all in for a long night.”

+=+=+

Sitting in their borrowed dorm room, Emerald, Mercury and Delilah stood in their outfits from the ball, forced to leave early as their leader sat on the bed growling as she was forced to pull viciously powerful arrows out of herself, including one that had gone straight through her thigh and was sticking out the other side, the arrow from her waist already extracted because it had gone _dangerously_ deep despite her powerful aura.

“ _How_ could they possibly have known I was out there?” Cinder snarled, snapping the head off the arrow and then grunting as she pulled the pieces out, her enhanced aura starting the process of closing the wounds gradually.

“There’s only one archer at Beacon, Cinder.” Delilah shrugged, her arms folded across her chest. “Tacita Everweb, of Team SKTC. As for how they knew, I imagine you made quite a noise in the tower if you clashed with that Ruby girl and her humorously big weapon. Tacita’s Semblance…”

“Yeah, the super senses, gotcha.” Mercury waved her off, getting a glare from the girl, before he turned to everyone in the room and gestured in exasperated curiosity. “That’s three times they’ve been a pain in our ass. Cinder’s almost literally if that arrow had been an inch higher and to the left.”

“ _Silence_ .” Cinder growled, her eyes flashing bright as she looked around at them all, still sitting on her bed. “They are _not_ a priority. But they are proving to be a threat…”

“You’re not wrong on that one, ma’am.” Delilah shrugged, thinking over the different students in Beacon that she knew and always coming back to both her own team, and Team SKTC. “If either Chrystal from SKTC, or my Cypher from CULD, had been there...you wouldn’t have gotten away. Not without a fight.”

Pausing for a few moments, Cinder frowned in frustrated curiosity before taking out her larger scroll and getting up the SKTC profiles again. “Tell me about the Chrystal girl. How would she have been a problem?”

“She's certainly fast, and has got good instincts, but her main strength is that she’s agile. Her reflexes and agility are enhanced by her Semblance, far moreso than any other student here. I’ve seen her get onto the roofs of three-story buildings in a jump if she has a run up, and anything coarser than glass and she can either climb up it or run up it. She participates in more sparring matches than most other students in the school, and she’s high on the scoreboard for a reason. Her offense isn't great, but it's that she's damn near impossible to hit with how her reflexes are. A chase across rooftops? You would never have gotten away, not without her catching up and you getting drawn into a dragged-out fight with someone you almost certainly wouldn't have been able to hit.”

“You sound awfully sure of that…” Cinder raised an eyebrow at her, noticing the hint of respect and fondness in Delilah’s voice when she spoke of the girl. Delilah scowled for a moment before nodding.

“I am. She and my team leader have sparred on plenty of occasions, I know what she can do.”

“I can take care of her, if it's just that she’s fast.” Mercury crossed his arms, giving a shrug. “Put us up against them in the tournament and I can get her out of commission.”

“No...no, we already have our plans for you.” Cinder gave Mercury a sinister smile, one that had him nod in acceptance but also smirking back as he crossed his arms.

Emerald sighed and spread her arms in frustration. “Well are they going to be a bigger problem or not? We’ve got that _goddamn_ team RWBY chasing Torchwick around, Ironwood in the sky, and now we’ve got SKTC causing problems in Beacon itself? Ma’am, they’re basically locking down the city.”

“And we’re right under their noses, Emerald. Have faith. The Everweb girl may have sharp eyes but Ozpin does not. “ Cinder chuckled, scrolling through the team lists and looking at the rosters for the first fights. Raising an eyebrow in amusement, she looked up from her scroll to Delilah, who straightened up slightly.

“Have you managed to talk your team into competing yet? For your part of the plan to be easiest, it would be best to have them at the Arena, close by when things begin.”

“I’m working on it, but Cypher’s hesitating.” Delilah sighed, giving a helpless shrug before biting her cheek. “I’ll get her to come around.”

“Work. Faster.” Cinder narrowed her eyes, pinning the other girl with her stare until Delilah folded slightly and nodded. “And that better not be hesitation I see, Delilah. Failure to obey would not be in your best interests. As for Team SKTC…”

The other three in the room looked around at each other as Cinder thought to herself, looking down at all the information she had in her hands and her mind racing. Their plan had a lot of wild cards involved, and it was growing increasingly frustrating. With team RWBY going after Torchwick, and going after him _successfully_ , the last thing they needed was another team following other clues.  
And while she didn’t voice the thought out loud, Delilah didn’t think there was a more threatening team to have hunting them down. Shina was tied with Pyrrha in terms of combat skill, Chrystal’s infiltration and agility skills were legendary, Kylar was a genius logistician, and Tacita’s Semblance could see through any secret possible.  
SKTC were a problem. A growing problem.

“We cannot eliminate either team RWBY or team SKTC without drawing attention, and they are not important enough to risk that exposure. They simply need to be...distracted.” Cinder thought out loud as she tilted her head at their psych profiles that she was now able to steal from the Beacon files, thanks to the access she had just gained that night from the main terminal. “We do nothing. We go silent.”

“What? How is _that_ a plan?” Mercury exclaimed in confusion, looking around at the others before raising his eyebrows at Cinder.

She raised a hand to silence him, staring into his eyes with her own slightly glowing ones. “All the pieces are already in place, we have our access point, the White Fang are in position. There is no need for us to do a single thing until the tournament itself. Everything is ready. Let the RWBY girls chase Torchwick, he’ll keep them distracted. As for SKTC, they’re chasing different threads, and there are none of those threads left. They’ll be stuck now.”

“Any ideas on who to throw SKTC up against in the tournament, yet? No matter who we pick, they’re going to win. Cinder there are some top teams this year but Shina is _going_ to get to the singles round.” Delilah couldn't quite keep the mixture of concern and admiration out of her voice, and she got a scolding glare in response.

“Your glowing exclamations of the skills of that team are getting repetitive, Delilah. I’m aware of their capabilities.” Cinder raised an eyebrow at her. “They are _not_ a priority. We shall see where the dice fall, because no matter the roll...we win.”

“...if you say so, ma’am.” Delilah sighed, giving a nod, before checking her scroll and raising an eyebrow. “I should get back, my team will be leaving the dance soon.”

“Then go. Do your job, Delilah.”

Delilah gave a deep nod, before leaving without a glance at either Emerald or Mercury, closing the door behind her. As soon as she did so, Emerald narrowed her eyes at where she’d been standing and then glanced at Cinder.

“Are you sure we need her? She’s…” Emerald winced as she resisted the urge to shiver. “Something about her’s just ‘wrong’, and what big part is she playing in this anyway?”

“Emerald, if you needed to know, you would know. But she’s got talents that will make everything go much smoother, and with what we’ve offered her she’ll do her part.” Cinder smiled confidently as she stood and brushed herself off, looking down with satisfaction as the arrow wounds finished healing.

“And what about the girl who shot you? And her boyfriend?” Mercury pointedly glanced down at her leg, raising his eyebrows.

“They have nothing important they could report to Ozpin and the General. Just added excitement to a night that was meant to go smoothly. But, if they continue to get in the way...well, we may just have to take a risk.” Cinder gave a raised eyebrow look to the two of them, and they glanced at each other with small smiles.

“I will admit, I’ve wanted to see what that Shina guy can do.” Mercury smirked.

“Then we wait, and we see, and either way we win. But, they have a tournament to prepare for, and so do we. 

For now though...I do feel like some punch. Infiltrating a tower is thirsty work. Shall we?”

Cinder gave them both a deceptively friendly smile, and left the dorm, the two of them following behind her.


	7. Expectant Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Refusing to simply be a pawn responsible for getting the right students into the right places, Delilah has her own methods in mind to further Cinder's plans, providing she can perfect an experiment that could change the war of a Thousand Red Threads forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter this time. It's time to examine our darling Delilah and the part she is determined to play in the destruction of Beacon, and what she wants to get out of the deal she's made with Cinder.

As Delilah left Cinder’s dorm and stepped out into the thankfully rather empty corridors of the dorm block, she glanced back at the door she had just closed with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her three compatriots, they were...well, she could work with them easily enough. It wasn’t like she had many other options.

Just like Cinder had told her to. She’d do her part.

Taking her scroll from her pocket, she double-checked the message she’d received while in the room.

_‘Next attempt is ready. Can’t do anything more. When do you want to give it a try? - T’_

Sighing, she quickly started walking back to her dorm to change out of the dress she’d worn to the ball and into something more appropriate for her work, she was thankful when the room was empty when she arrived, still dark. It didn’t surprise her, unless there was a surprise change in any of their plans she was going to have her dorm to herself for the night anyway.

Stripping out of her dress, she spared a glance at herself in the bathroom mirror, putting her hands on the basin. Not even her teammates ever saw her naked, not if she could help it. The flesh of her torso and back was a mess of scars and brutal stretch marks, the evidence of a thousand slip ups with her Semblance as she attempted to change her own appearance and her own body with it.

But the human body is determined to restore itself to its normal appearance and build, no matter how many times she mutated herself, her own aura fought what she did to it.

There was something twisted in her Semblance and she knew it. Flesh obeyed her if it was under her touch. It moved, it changed, it twisted.  
If she touched it, flesh itself was her pet.  
She didn’t know the limits of it. Figuring out the limits of such a Semblance required...testing it. And there wasn’t exactly much chance of people volunteering.

Shrugging, she quickly dressed into her normal clothes, but made sure to slide her weapons onto her wrists and click them into their withdrawn and compact form so she was able to hide them underneath the sleeves of her jacket.

Sliding her scroll into her hand, she quickly messaged back.

_‘On my way.’_

Grabbing the bag she kept under a loose floorboard under her bed, it was easy to slip out of the dorm block without really being noticed, most people either distracted by still being at the dance, or preoccupied by whoever they were stumbling back to their dorms early with. So she gave smiles to the right people, raising her eyebrow in approval to the partners of others and got grins and playful shrugs in response, and stepped out into the now rather late night.

Picking her path around different buildings and though others, she avoided almost all of the security cameras and any chance of being noticed by staff or campus security, and was able to start the dark walk down into the city, plenty of the smaller streets having the streetlamps off already.

Half an hour of avoiding being noticed and taking darker roads later, she reached the abandoned house that she and her partner had been using for their work, and took the key from her pocket, stepping inside and locking it behind her. He had known she was coming, so all the secondary locks and bolts were undone, and she quickly slid them all back into place so it would be almost impossible for anyone to enter, and even if they managed to get inside they would be able to hear.  
Another locked door leading to the basement, and the moment she opened the door she could pick up the usual smell of flesh and rot. Rolling her eyes in frustration at his seeming inability to clean up after himself, she descended the stairs into the empty space.  
What had once been a rather large mortician’s workplace had been cleared out for the most part, the tiled and easily sterilised space still having steel benches and trolleys and bright lights on the ceiling to make it easier to work.

The moment she entered the room there was a vicious snarl from a cage in the corner where a relatively small sabyr Grimm was being kept, and she simply raised an eyebrow at it before walking over to where her partner was working on the most recent body they had acquired. Getting their hands on bodies wasn’t particularly hard, not with plenty of nearby regions still suffering semi-regular Grimm attacks.  
And her other compatriots didn’t seem to notice when the occasional White Fang member or one of Torchwick’s thugs went missing while on the job, dismissing them as being snatched by Grimm. There was a certain convenience in having such a prevalent scapegoat for that sort of thing.

Looking down at the man lying dead on the trolley, she glanced next to her, raising her eyebrows at her coworker.

“You sure this one might be viable?”

“There’s no certain compatibility here, Delilah.” The man shook his head in uncertainty, but his eyes showed a vicious curiosity and eagerness all the same.

Theodorus Rosha was a man similar to her in the most helpful ways, but different from her in enough that he was willing to innovate in ways she wouldn’t normally think of in their attempts to advance their experiments.  
Just like her, his hair was black, but he kept his short while hers went past her shoulders, and a pair of fine spectacles sat on his nose. While Delilah was still seventeen for a little while longer, Rosha was closer to thirty, but they were equals in every part of what they were attempting to do.

“We’re running short on time, Doctor. We no longer have months, we now only have weeks.” Delilah muttered, looking down at the body. “What have you removed from this one?”

“I’ve drained the blood as usual, and my usual sections of the brain, but nothing else. The transfusion tubing is in place.”

The now dead thug on the table had been either preserved perfectly or was incredibly fresh, it didn’t matter either way. A basic criminal with no-one to notice their absence, just like their normal pickings. Inserted into his torso was a series of tubing to make for flawless blood transfusions right into the key arteries of the heart.

Time for another attempt at the experiment.

They thought they were making progress, but it wasn’t fast enough. With the plans for Beacon coming closer Delilah’s frustration with her work, and with Cinder, was growing.

Running her fingers gently, almost reverently, over the exposed skin of the body as she checked the preservation of the flesh, she felt it ripple under her touch as she lightly stroked it with her Semblance, testing every inch piece by piece with her eyes closed, attuning and _listening_ , while Rosha went over to the caged Grimm in the corner and wheeled the cage over to where they were working.  
Watching as the young girl tested the body underneath her touch, he tilted his head curiously at the serene and seemingly satisfied look on her face. “Is it good enough?”

“It’s beautiful. You’ve done wonderfully. Do you have any more to work on if this one fails?” Her voice was soft, almost gentle, and she slowly opened her eyes and removed her fingertips from the body.

He shook his head in annoyance. “None that are as intact as they should be. The more that the Torchwick fellow proceeds his work the messier the accidental casualties are becoming.”

“Of course.” She sighed, nodding her head slowly in resignation. Stepping over to him, she tilted her head at the caged Grimm, which was still insisting on snarling and trying to bite and scratch at her through the bars of the cage.

Raising an eyebrow at it, she flicked her eyes to Doctor Rosha. “Shall we?”

As the doctor began to prepare the tubing, Delilah simply put her hand through the cage and placed it on the side of the creature, immediately grasping into its body and freezing it to remain still, every joint inside of it clenching and spasming as her aura seemed to possess its very ability to move.  
Opening the cage with her other hand, she controlled each leg of the creature individually, almost like a puppet, as she forced the muscles and bones to move so it would step out. Keeping a hand on it, she forced it to step up onto a second steel trolley, its movements jagged and jerking and with pained hissing in its throat, though its jaws couldn’t move to make the sound properly.  
Hearing the sound of the muscles straining and joints creaking from the forced movement, the doctor glanced over and took in the glimmering smile on Delilah’s face before he quickly began to strap the Grimm down tightly with the bindings they had prepared for the constant repetition of these experiments.

From there it was simply a matter of attaching the tubing between the corpse, and the still immobilised Grimm. While Grimm didn’t have circulatory systems like living creatures did, they still seemingly had a form of blood. The two of them hadn’t been able to truly figure out what the viscous liquid it was that was inside of Grimm, but it had faint traces of magic in it just like dust did, and that made it incredibly interesting.  
With the tubes connected, Delilah nodded to the doctor, who opened the tubing valves and drained the air from them to create a vacuum and prevent air bubbles from entering the bloodstream. Delilah kept one hand on the Grimm, and placed her other on the corpse, and she closed her eyes to focus, her emerald green aura shimmering under the surface of her skin as she fully embraced her Semblance.

The black liquid from inside the Grimm, under her coaxing, began to move, trickling through the tube and into the body of the human corpse.

As she kept her eyes closed, Doctor Rosha observed any changes in the human corpse as the Grimm ‘blood’ filled its veins and, through Delilah’s force, began to infuse into the flesh itself and into the cells. Grimm didn’t have heartbeats, they didn’t seem to need them, their flesh able to continue to exist and persist up until the moment they were killed and it turned to dust entirely.  
Which still wasn’t something that they understood.  
_Why_ they vanished into dust.  
But, there was plenty of time. They had other experiments they needed to figure out first.

It took a few minutes, but eventually the human corpse was entirely filled with the liquid, and Delilah relaxed slightly, opening her eyes and looking between the two beings under her control with satisfaction. Taking her hand off the human corpse, she didn’t even look at the Grimm as she pulsed her Semblance once again and the body of the creature crunched in on itself and perished, blowing away like dust.

“Alright. That’s the first step done.” She brushed her hands together to remove the last black particles before giving the now completely Grimm-infused human body all of her attention, crossing her arms in thought. “Well it didn’t explode or melt this time. That’s an improvement I seem to have mastered. But we’re so close...”

“Why push yourself in this work, anyway? I’m aware of what use it might be to someone of your talents. But what’s the purpose of them in this particular instance? Aren’t you worried about being discovered?” The doctor removed the tubing from the body and began taking notes, looking over each part of it to examine for surface damage or deterioration.

“You don’t need to know the specifics, my friend. If you don’t know, you can’t tell. But Cinder’s plan is going to fracture, she’s delegating but not being attentive. If I get this working in the way we wish, it will give us the upper hand in the battle to come.”

“Bringing the dead back to life? And you truly believe you can control them?”

“We’re _not_ bringing the dead back to life, doctor.” Delilah raised her eyebrows at him. “Merely attempting to animate otherwise dormant flesh. This is not a person anymore, Theodorus. It is flesh. Skin, bone, muscle, fat, nerves. That’s all.”

Frowning as he thought over it, Theodorus put his clipboard down and tapped his pen on the palm of his now empty hand, before reaching up to push his glasses back up his nose. “I’m aware of this, Delilah. If it was true reanimation we were after, you wouldn’t allow me to take their brain tissue. But it _is_ a form of giving life back to the dead.”

“Perhaps that’s a way of looking at it…” Delilah looked down at the body and reached down to stroke her fingers down its face again. It was rather a pleasant face, despite the now sickly pale and grey colour to it from the Grimm blood filling its veins and soaking into the flesh itself. “I do hope this one works…I’m sure I could make him beautiful.”

Noting the way she was looking at the body, Doctor Rosha decided to give her a moment as he focused on strapping down the wrists and ankles of the body just in case this attempt worked and it should be restrained at first. As he tightened the ankle restraints, he heard her sigh as she nodded in satisfaction. “Whenever you wish.”

Nodding in silent acquiescence, Doctor Rosha carefully took a prepared electric dust crystal from a nearby dish and achingly carefully inserted it into the corpse's heart, fitting it into a slot he had carved out for it earlier. When it sat into place perfectly, he stepped back for Delilah, who gave him a small and hopeful smile.  
Placing her hand over the gaping holes in the chest from where the tubing and crystal had been inserted, she reached in with her semblance yet again, she slowly and carefully closed the incisions on the heart, repairing the arteries and chambers of the heart, having to frown in focus as she slowly and insanely delicately rebuilt the heart specially to accommodate for the dust in a form of reconstruction she had practiced and perfected over months, before pulling the muscle tissue and flesh back together layer by layer until she closed the skin and the body was fully repaired.

“Alright Doctor, shall we?” She looked over to him, breathing slightly heavier than normal from the exertion, and the man nodded.

Walking up to the head of the body, she stood behind it and placed both her hands on the corpses shoulders, took a few deep breaths to work herself up to it, and focused yet again. This one was the most delicate part of the whole experiment. If she got it wrong and it failed, they would have no way of knowing which part of the process was failing, and they would have to do the same thing over again until she got it right.  
Closing her eyes, she let out the final deep breath in a calm sigh as she touched into the body, her aura and energy beginning to fill the flesh itself, infusing into the muscles, into each vein and artery and cell she could touch. While _she_ couldn’t see it, Doctor Rosha noted it down as slow pulses of emerald green went through the body beneath her touch as she pushed her aura into it.

The eyes of the corpse, which had turned milky white from the beginning of deteriorating, began to clear up, and what were once gorgeous brown instead became vibrant but sickly green. As she touched each part, the veins underneath the skin became more prominent, rising to the surface filled with viscous black blood bulged out grotesquely.  
The doctor noted it all down, but wasn’t particularly surprised or impressed. They’d reached these points of the process a few times before. And while it was a promising sign, it wasn’t progress. Not yet.  
He had been working with Delilah a few months now, the two of them having seemingly just found each other, and this particular endeavour was the latest and greatest in quite a line of experiments that had succeeded in incredible ways. While her own body resisted mutation, her aura fighting it off, she was able to mutate the bodies of animals, and even other people easily enough as long as that person’s aura wasn’t awakened.

As her energy traced through the body, after an agonisingly long time of careful focusing she reached the heart, and after making sure to infuse and slightly mutate every other cell of the body so that it was infused with touches of her own aura, she wrapped it around the electric crystal, and sparked it.  
With the wave of electric energy suddenly erupting and sparking outwards, she groaned with the strain as she worked on the flesh distributing the energy throughout the entire body, the veins and muscles protected by her aura preventing it from erupting through the skin and doing damage.

As the electric energy filled the remnants of the nervous system and sparked the brain (what remained of it after the doctor had removed a few choice sections for his own work), she forced the muscles of the lungs to take in a deep breath, easily able to compel the body to start bleeding and blood to start flowing as she forcibly made the heart beat.  
It was simply a matter of her aura and Semblance affecting the brain itself and controlling it to reactivate it.

They had rarely gotten to this part of the process before, so the doctor watched attentively, and his eyes widened with a shiver of excitement as the body’s eyes moved slightly and the muscles of the mouth open, a horrific groan escaping from it of its own accord as Delilah jerked her hands back and off it. The body on the table began to thrash around slightly, the muscles still slowly waking up. Delilah, having to rest on the other nearby trolley out of exhaustion at the effort, focused slightly and willed the body to stop moving.  
Having infused her own aura, her own energy, into every cell of its body...they reacted to the will she put into her aura, and the body went still, the head turning to face her and stare at her almost out of a form of worship as the flesh _felt_ the source of its new life nearby.

Grinning in vicious excitement as she looked into the eyes of her success, Delilah looked over to the doctor and nodded in delight, just in time for a hissing sound to come from the body. Both of them looked back to it in surprise and confusion as its head smoked slightly and the eyes rolled back in the head, and all semblance of life left it.  
Both of them looked at it for a few moments, before Delilah slammed her hand down on the trolley she was leaning against in raging disappointment.

The doctor stayed quiet, merely looking over his attentive and intricate notes, nodding in understanding as he easily realised the problem.

“I see, we used-”

“Too much electric dust, yes. Obviously. We fried the synapses.” Delilah looked over at him and nodded, but a wide grin split along her face and she tapped her fingernails on the metal, pushing off it to walk over to the body.

Looking down at it, staring into the green eyes, she reached down and ran the back of her fingers along its cheek. Her first child had woken up. They had figured out the process, now it was just a matter of refining it.  
The next one would live longer, she was sure of it.  
Giving the body a proud and loving smile, she nodded, and looked over her shoulder at where Doctor Rosha was studying the brain tissue he had extracted, looking into the jars.

“Have you extracted enough for you to be satisfied as well?”

“It will do. But I can do my own work alone in my lab. The night only has so many hours, and I have my day work tomorrow, so if there was nothing else?” The man began to put the jars and surgical tools into his doctor’s bag, giving Delilah a smile as he did so.

“Get your hands on another body, and I’ll grab us another Grimm. Let me know the moment you have one. Next time it will work.” Delilah smiled as well, before looking back to her dead child in front of her. “And try and find one as handsome as this one?”

“Of course. Goodnight Delilah. Get back to the academy safely when you’re done here.”

“I will. Get home safely, and I hope work goes smoothly tomorrow. Goodnight Theodorus.”

The man gave a polite and fond nod as he made his way up the steps, and Delilah heard as the back door opened and then closed, the man locking it behind himself.  
Sighing as she was alone, she looked down at the body a bit longer and her proud smile turned into a sad one. She shook her head in disappointment.

“So close...you could have lived forever. But the next one will.”

Looking down at it for another moment, she sighed in sadness again before placing her hand on the body’s head and began the rather simple process of crushing and squeezing the body in on itself until it was shattered and desecrated enough she could simply open the drains in the clinic and wash the remains away, a despairing look on her face the entire time, until there was no sign left that there had ever been a body at all.  
Grabbing her bag, she made her way up the steps and flipped the lights off behind her, stepping out into the night air and locking the door, she paused for a moment as she looked up at where the moon was passing by in the sky, showing the time that the night had passed.

Adjusting her back over her shoulder, she began to make her way back to Beacon, to lay in bed and think over the process until she dozed off into a deep sleep.


	8. Breaches & Gaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barely any time after the events of the dance, an explosion underneath one of the main squares of the city sees a horde of Grimm, and the teams of huntsmen don't hesitate to respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I know where this story is going. It's just very, very slow.

Almost a month later, a hole exploded in one of the main squares of the city.

When the alert went off, SKTC were on the ground in a different section of the city, doing basic extermination work on the borders of the true-south section of the city limits. Without hesitation they called in for an extraction and leapt into the airjet before it even truly touched down, the pilot knowing where they wanted to go without even being asked.

Reaching into their pouches, each of them grabbed earpieces and connected them to their scrolls, before tuning in to the emergency radio channel, listening to the constant updates and chatter going through as the teams at the breach communicated.  
A problem this big, there wasn’t even an attempt to keep the student teams at bay. This was their job, no matter how dangerous it was today. Student teams on campus who were able and willing were grabbing weapons and piling into transports, but it was the teams already on their training missions in the nearby districts that would reach there first.  
As the breach came into view, they watched from the air as a massive Death Stalker crawled its way to the surface, clearly hundreds of years old after living underground for so long, and just as other teams were recovering from staring in disbelief and about to engage, a very excited warning came through the radio pieces.  
  


 _“Stay back. If anyone is near that thing I’d suggest backing off immediately. This is going to be violent.”_ The excited and vicious voice of Lelise came through just as SKTC saw the airjet carrying CULD enter the hotzone.

As Cypher opened the door of the airjet her team were in, hovering directly above the break itself and the massive horror that had just crawled out of it, Lelise tightened her gloves and grinned, giving a wink to her teammates as she summoned her aura to the surface and focused a massive amount of it in her right fist. Confidently striding over to the door, she stepped out and dropped, letting out a vicious cackle of excitement as she fell and slammed her fist into the top of the creature with all of her might.

The explosion from the force caused every airjet in the air nearby to all ripple in the air and have to straighten out. The windows of every surrounding building shattered into dust as every other surrounding Huntsman and Grimm were blown backwards and sent flying. Meanwhile the massive Death Stalker itself seemed to collapse in on itself, and was unnaturally still and silent for a long moment before it simply shattered on the spot, exploding in a massive spray of black that turned into the signature black dust.  
Standing from the crater she had formed from her hit, Lelise gestured to the rest of her team to join her before she got to work clearing out a landing zone, mighty punches and kicks either sending grimm flying or destroying them entirely.

Jumping up to grab onto the black head of a King Taijitu and yanking, she extracted the rest of the giant snake from the hole it was slithering out of and slammed it down onto the wreckage of a recently destroyed building, using the jagged spikes of metal and concrete of the wreckage to slice deeply into the snake and hold it into place as she simply ripped its head off, skipping forward and slamming her fist into the head of its white half when it came up to defend itself, the impact causing the air around them to distort from the sonic boom of the air being punched, and the head burst like a balloon.

Dropping down behind her, the rest of her team gave her wide-eyed looks, with Cypher’s look quickly turning into a look of bewilderment. Lelise grinned and shrugged.

“What? Not often I get a chance to let loose.”

“Well, time to keep letting loose.” Ursa spoke Cypher’s thoughts as she extended the two blades of her sword and brought it back before swinging with all her might and cutting an ursa, a horror that was her namesake, cleanly in half. “Because we’ve got work to do.”

In response, Lelise cracked her knuckles dramatically, activating her dust-infused gloves, and got to work, making sure to stay in areas that were clear of other Huntsmen, Cypher backing her up by eliminating smaller problems while also using her semblance to blink away any Huntsmen that got too close to where Lelise was causing havoc. Ursa and Delilah looked at each other and gave amused but exhausted grins, the team strategy easily figured out by now as Ursa brought around Beloved Tenacity and Delilah began the normal strategy of using the spiked grappling whips of Deformate Desecrate to yank grimm in for Ursa to carve up.  
Any Grimm that Ursa wouldn’t be able to get to, Delilah merely pulled them close enough for her to lay a touch on them, and they either crunched in on themselves or twisted in half or otherwise broke in one way or another.

Up above, Team SPKZ opened the door of their own airjet and gave each other grins, Sunny preparing the truly massive cleaving blade that was Solari Eternal. He nodded to the others. “Let’s get to work. I know we were keeping some things in our pockets for the tournament, but lives are at stake here. Understood?”

“Understood.” Kirian nodded, sliding his arm into the arm slot of Familae Obstruct, his interchangeable firearm, and tapped the buttons on it for it to shift into its heavy cannon mode. Even before they were out of the airjet he began taking shots, pummelling the larger grimm with cannon fire before easily rotating his weapon into its automatic fire mode to slice the clusters of smaller grimm apart with machine gun fire. 

Jumping down from the airjet and landing heavily, he calmly and casually tapped the buttons on the side of his weapon and the barrels rotated and shifted to whichever type of firearm he chose, with the lengths of barrels interchangeable for any scenario. Counting the sheer number of weaker grimm nearby, he shrugged and brought up a longer barrel and rotated the back section to attach the autocannon, clicking out a lock-on targeting mechanism for it and proceeding to drop to a knee to brace and blast the cluster with heavy fire until they started to get too close, when he simply stood, tapped the pad again, and the longer barrel switching out for the short rotating barrels of a minigun, but the back section instead rotated into a shotgun, allowing for insanely rapid shotgun fire that easily began dusting the grimm that had started to get close.

Smiling nervously and taking rapid breaths to hype himself up, Petyr tapped the activation pad on his wrist to wake up Drovi Proteci, the pack on his back opening up and the five drones inside unwrapping to their proper size and buzzing to life. Using his Semblance to tune in to the command pad on his wrist, he began to command them and guide them using only his thoughts, one of them attaching to a slot on the back of his harness and extending wings, allowing him to easily glide down to the ground while the other four hovered in the air above, shredding grimm with concentrated lazer fire while waiting for further orders from him.  
Seeing Jaune in trouble nearby, with a single thought one of the drones flew over and fired a grappling hook at him, grabbing onto his armour and yanking him back out of danger before blasting the grimm that had been giving him trouble into dust.  
The drone on his back detaching and joining the others in their defense of the area, one of the others flew over, transformed, and attached to another drone slot on his arm to wrap around it like a long metal glove, with an arm-mounted version of the drone’s lazer, letting him fight personally.

Zavraii for his own part sighed in preparation, never really enjoying fighting, before dropping down and bringing up the twin buckler shields that made up Legate Populi, the saw-like edges extending around the edges of the shields and beginning to spin like disc saws, allowing him to defend against damage with the shields while also swiping them like saws that sliced through grimm easily. When a sabyr slipped too close and threatened to get through his defenses, a single glance from him into its eyes, a single moment of eye contact, had the creature drop as if asleep for him to slice.

Meanwhile their team leader watched his team easily clearing good space around them, Sunny rolled his shoulders, bringing his massive cleaving blade to rest on his shoulder, and dropped down, his sheer mass sending up dust when he landed heavily. Attracting the attention of a cluster of nearby beowulfs, he simply cracked his neck before activating his semblance, causing his entire body to ignite in fire, including his sword, the sheer heat of his aura igniting into flame, and with each massive swing that cut through beasts with the sheer strength behind it, also released waves of flame that roared outwards and incinerated any other grimm behind it. Thankfully the other Huntsmen gave him a wide berth once they saw.

As he was fighting, the clusters of grimm in front of him growing more ferocious and vicious, he felt his flames growing hotter and more concentrated as a hand placed on his back, and he looked over to see Istyr of Team Bright using his own Semblance to enhance Sunny’s flames. Sunny gave him an appreciative nod, and Istyr smiled before stepping back, the fire he had borrowed from Sunny staying on his hand as he immediately expanded it and let loose a focused torrent of fire at a line of sabyrs. Incinerate, a special kind of Semblance, spun around his body as fire itself obeyed Istyr’s command, focusing and concentrating and growing as he wished. While he couldn’t _create_ fire itself, he could control it once he had it.  
And with his wrist-mounted flamethrowers, Brave Commandus, he always had fire at his command. Standing back to back with Sunny, both of them immune to fire, they got to work turning one of the main streets of the city into nothing but charcoal grimm corpses.

A slip from Sunny sent a wave of fire over to where another team was fighting, and would have reached them if a rush of water didn’t fire into it and extinguish it in time, letting up bellows of steam as Irik brought his hands back. Partnered perfectly with Istyr, he brought up his greataxe, Maelstrom Wrend, and had it transform into its ranged form, an arm cannon that fired intense blasts of high-pressure water, of a pressure high enough to crack concrete, especially when combined with his semblance, Sea Serpent, making the water itself _his_ to command.  
Blasts of high-pressure water cut through grimm and crushed them into dust, before with his other hand he would bring the water around and wrap it around himself to reuse.  
Constantly launching focused blasts of water to destroy grimm and then sweeping it around to brush surrounding grimm into the path of other teams to destroy, he focused mostly on boxing in Sunny and Istyr’s flames to make sure no other huntsmen got caught in their massive swathes of destruction.

A crackling roar behind him had him look over his shoulder as a boarbatusk crackled from a bolt of lightning going through it and searing it, a crack of thunder sounding out and Ysgar hopping into view, releasing another stream of lightning to a small group and letting it crackle between each beowulf. Calling to Irik, he jerked his head, and with a sweep of his hand Irik sent his gathered water to rush over a charging pack, with Ysgar then quickly activating his gauntlets to ignite the initial spark before releasing the stream of lightning, smashing into the closest monster before travelling through the entire current of water, the pack of seven beowulfs screeching in pain as they fried and then dusted.  
Letting Istyr get back to work, Ysgar glanced over to where Nora Valkyrie was fighting and whistled loudly to her, drawing large bolts of crackling lightning into his hands as he got her attention, and she cackled eagerly and spread her arms to become a bigger target as he released his gathered lightning and charged her up powerfully enough that her body sparked with almost a shroud of pink electricity. She gave Ysgar a thankful salute before swinging back to work, now powerful enough that shockwaves went out with each swing of her hammer.

Smirking to himself, Ysgar went back to work drawing lightning out of the yellow dust-infused gloves on his hands, shaping it and enhancing it, then releasing it in concentrated bolts.

Making sure to stay an equal distance from each of his teammates as he worked, Boral was in almost a state of complete zen and focus as he worked, his double-bladed sword spinning rapidly and elegantly as he sliced through any grimm that even got slightly close. Unlike his teammates who had incredibly powerful semblances of a type so rare that it had almost been fate itself that had brought them together, Boral’s was more...unusual. He rarely used it, instead preferring to rely on his martial skill. But as the numbers of grimm around them all only continued to increase, he sighed, and closed his eyes. Reaching out with his aura, he _felt_ the other auras nearby, the other huntsmen, and he quickly searched through them all until he found one that would be useful, locking on when he found Chrystal in the jet flying closer.  
Taking a deep breath in to focus on it, he let his aura morph and mimic hers, when he opened his eyes his semblance activated properly and he felt his body adjust to his _new_ temporary abilities, taking his new reflexes and agility to increase his speed and ability with his sword and carving up the horrors around him at a far faster pace than normal, before looking as an ursa was quickly scrambling closer, so with another quick focus of his aura he released Chrystal’s Semblance and instead borrowed Lelise’s, his new enhanced strength allowing him to slice into the giant beast with enough force the cut went straight through it, and it fell into two-halves. 

As another Grimm roared at him from behind and he spun to deal with it, an electric arrow pierced straight through it and dusted it, team SKTC hopping down onto the ground and making their way onto the field. Boral gave Tacita a thankful nod and then jogged a bit away, giving SKTC the local area and quickly making his way over to Irik.

Shina and Chrystal grinned at each other as Tacita clicked her quiver into the selection she wanted and Kylar readied Myriadisca, the four of them standing in a line as they looked out at what was happening.

“So...looks like there was a massive amount of Grimm gathering in the caves underneath Mountain Glenn the whole time.” Kylar said with raised eyebrows, as Tacita next to him drew her bow and dusted a beowulf nearby. He sighed dramatically. “Who could have calculated such a possibility? Oh wait. _We_ did.”

“Yeah I was just thinking the same thing.” Chrystal rapidly spun her pistols into her hands and began firing them onto a nearby pack. “But nastier.”

“That doesn’t matter now. For now, we focus. Go, Chrystal. Jaune from JNPR needs backup.” Shina looked to Chrystal who nodded, focusing, and the girl immediately took off at speed, easily clearing the distance and jumping over Jaune’s head as if it were a hurdle to bring her blade down on the sabyr that had been about to take a bite out of him.

Shina turned to Tacita, and pointed to a nearby rooftop. “I want you up high, use your Semblance and keep an eye on weak spots and problems, then use your earpiece to call them out to the others.”

“Got it.” Tacita nodded, quickly kissing Kylar on the cheek before jogging over to the bottom of the building, drawing a grappling arrow, and zooming up to the top of the roof, taking a kneeling position and tapping her earpiece to tune in and give out information and updates.

Meanwhile Shina and Kylar looked at each other with grim faces.

“I told them this was a possibility. I _warned_ them that Grimm were going down into the tunnels and caves. It was in the intel.” Kylar growled in frustration, even as he whipped up his staff and brought it into the chest of a sabyr, the dust inside sending off a wave of energy that blasted the creature away. In the same movement he slid his hand along a red dust crystal and sent a blast of fire in the same direction, the body of the sabyr having been sent tumbling into another of the creatures, knocking it off balance, and then the flame enveloping them both and reducing them to the usual black ash.

“I know, I know. We did what we could, this isn’t our fault.” Shina spoke without looking as he did his own fighting, carving through a pack of beowulfs that had decided they would be a good snack. Beowulfs weren’t a particularly difficult opponent, but he still hissed in pain when a stray claw swipe went along his thigh and his gold aura flashed for a brief moment.

“I’m not saying it _is._ Trust me, I blame them entirely. How many people do you think are already-” Kylar paused mid-movement as his mind started to go a dangerous direction, blinking as his face started to go blank. Looking over as his teammate cut himself off, Shina raised his voice to snap him out of it.

“ _No_ , we don’t think about that. Casualties come later, for now we fight. Focus.” Shina said firmly, knowing that Kylar’s mind wanted to fire off in every direction, and that risked the chance he would get bogged down thinking about anyone who might be dead, especially civilians.

Nodding, Kylar forced himself to focus on the fight, dancing between different types of dust easily, flinging electric infusions at Shina regularly in order to speed his team leader up faster and faster, turning him even further into a whirlwind of blades.

When there was a decent amount of breathing room around them, Shina slowly stopped his movements but kept his blade at the ready, looking next to him where Kylar was checking the amount of crystals he had left.

“How you looking?”

Kylar sighed and frowned. “Full air, almost out of ice, bit of lightning left and _barely_ any fire, half my gravity left, and all my hardlight. Things are going to get a tad interesting if this goes on another hour or so.”

“...what about rock?”

Scowling in annoyance, Kylar sighed. “All of it. Please don’t make me. But what are you thinking?”

Looking at the breach itself where grimm were still pouring out of it, Shina narrowed his eyes as he clenched his jaw. “I may need you to push yourself.”

“What do you want me to do?” Kylar asked apprehensively as he clicked Myriadisca back together again, fully loaded, but the pouches of spare crystals on his belt were gradually emptying.

“...reckon you could hit the hole itself with a huge boulder or fireball or something? A big rock, anyway.”

“...what????” Kylar’s eyebrows were high and his eyes wide as he looked at Shina, then at the hole, and then back to Shina. “You want _what_ now _???”_

“We need to both; kill Grimm _and_ plug the hole otherwise they’re just going to keep coming. But until Professor Goodwitch arrives you might be the only one here who can do anything close.” Shina shrugged helplessly as he gestured to the breach, where Grimm were still clambering out of it in a constant stream. While their numbers certainly weren’t infinite, if a single gap appeared in the perimeter the Huntsmen had set up then the Grimm would pour like a river right through it.

This fight was on a clock before it would become a massacre.

“...shit. Maybe?” Kylar leant on his staff as he thought over it, running numbers and doing the alchemical combinations in his head, scanning through different recipes and potential options as quickly as he could before he closed his eyes. “Shina, that's probably a combination of four if you want me to do it effectively. _Four_ . That’s dangerous. If I slip up that could tear my aura to _shreds_ and I’d be lucky if that’s all it did to me.”

“ _Can_ you do it?”

“...it would be almost impossible, but maybe. Most of my crystals have only been used up by my staff instead of my Semblance, but I’ve still been using up my aura by the truckload, I’m already starting to feel lightheaded. But...if you’re certain with this, if you think it’s our best bet, I can try. It’ll take me some time, and I’ll need some cover while I work.” Kylar looked stressed and exhausted even at the thought of it, but he was nodding in surrender. “You’ll be on your own here.”

“That’s fine. Go. Do whatever it takes, got it?” Shina gave him a confident and reassuring look, reaching out and grasping his friend’s shoulder. “I can hold things here.”

“...okay. Alright. I’m on it. I’ll get it done.” Kylar gave a grim smile and began to jog away, tapping his earpiece to speak into it. “Chrystal, Tacita, I need you both for a minute or two. I think I can plug the hole.”

 _“Shit really? Damn, just tell me where and I’m there.”_ Chrystal’s voice came back over the line, and across the town square he could see her start to look around and try to find him. When they locked eyes, she gave him a nod. He beckoned with his hand as he replied.

“Well, meet me right next to it. Close enough you could look down into it if you wanted. And Tacita, I need you to cover us. I need room.”

 _“...you serious…?”_ Chrystal paused and Kylar could hear a sigh. _“Okay dokey. I trust you.”_

 _“I’ve got you both clear when you need it.”_ Tacita replied as well, but she sounded worried, and was clearly getting exhausted from having to keep an eye on an entire battlefield at once.

Jogging over, as he went he worked on absorbing all the dust he’d need. But it was a purely colossal amount. Draining in as much rock and gravity dust as he could, before draining in a handful of fire crystals and then, finally, after wincing in preparation, he drew in a crystal or two of hardlight dust, cringing at how the massive amount of swirling dust felt inside of him. In his entire life, he had only ever attempted to use a combination of four a handful of times, and it had been a success twice and the rest were failures.

There wasn’t room for failure today.

Meeting Chrystal by the breach, he nodded in thanks as she smiled at him. “What do you need?”

“Buy me two minutes to focus and whatever happens you can’t let _anything_ hit me, I may be about to lose my entire aura. All of it.”

“...” She blinked at him with a baffled look, before letting out an anxious but resigned breath and nodded. “You got it. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Me too..” Kylar sighed as he slid Myriadisca onto his back to free his hands, and he closed his eyes as he got to work, focusing as hard as he could to keep control of the gravity and hardlight dusts.

Focusing the fire dust as compact as he could, he squashed it together into almost a pure ingot of pure energy, which wasn’t _hard_ as much as it was just _draining_ . Taking the rock dust, he intermingled it with the hardlight, compacting it together into almost soft clay of energy and wrapping it around the red energy ingot, crunching them together and setting it so that the inner core of the alchemical creation was pure flame, and the exterior was concentrated rock, strengthened and held together by hardlight.  
Holding the combination of three, he brought around the gravity dust and, like blowing dust, scattered it over the other combination gradually, making sure to cover each inch of the surface in as many layers of the gravitational energy as possible, while also making sure to keep some gravity energy leftover.

None of this was visible on the outside apart from people being able to see a glowing orb of energy between his hands gradually changing colours and ebbing, and the air around him distorting at the sheer amount of energy within his grasp.  
In order to hold it all together, he had to wrap the concoction in his own aura as a bonding agent, and to hold four different types of dust together in three layers required over half of his remaining aura for the one alchemical transmutation. Opening his eyes with a strain, he nodded to Chrystal.  
With a firm but trusting look into his eyes, she took a few hops back to clear him room for whatever he had to do, and after juggling his main formulae into his right hand he quickly drew in a vast amount of air dust with his left and began to fly up into the air as far high enough he could see the entire square and aim properly.

He spoke into his earpiece. “Every Huntsman team active near the breach itself, retreat to a safe distance _immediately._ I’m sending something big in and you’re going to want to get out of the entire square.”

Looking down while still rising into the air, he watched as the Huntsmen below scattered, finding teammates and getting out of the square together. It wasn’t a particular surprise that they complied, warnings like that were always taken seriously even if you didn’t recognise the voice on a personal level. Only vital alerts were allowed to be said over the emergency channel, so everyone took it seriously and took off, clearing the area.

Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Kylar held the glowing orb in one hand while extending his other and firing off a series of gravity glyphs below him at different heights. Taking a few deep breaths, he took the orb in both hands and sparked his aura, which crackled around his body in response and already threatened to shatter just from the lightest touch, but he forced it, activating the energy and watching as the physical manifestation of the alchemy itself began to form in his hands, formed of dense crackling rock that was ablaze with fire.  
Not releasing the conjured spell from his hands just yet, he aimed it carefully even as the rock itself continued to grow.

Taking a few rapid breaths in preparation and anxiety, he unleashed the last of his aura which activated all the dust within the spell and the small conjured meteor fired downwards, rapidly growing larger and larger and igniting in roaring flames, the gravity dust infused in it firing it towards the ground at velocity, and each of the gravity glyphs he had placed sped it up even further as it shot towards the ground at speed.

Watching it grow until it was around half the diameter of the breach, Kylar watched from the sky above as barely a handful of seconds later it impacted right on target, slamming into the ground and firing right into the gaping hole in the town square and exploding outwards, the caverns below roaring with a blast of fire and rock while the hardlight dust infused in it activated, creating a sealing dome so that all the explosion was contained underground and none fired out to the surface and endangered the city.

The hordes of Grimm within the caverns were crushed by flaming rock if they were too close, and those they survived were once again trapped as the sheer rubble and rocks from the meteor itself plugged the hole almost perfectly.

Letting out a breath of relief and satisfaction, Kylar was too dizzy to notice his descent, and as he gained his own velocity his dark green aura finally ran out and shattered from the strain of his semblance, leaving him helpless as he plummeted towards the ground. But as he threatened to slam into the ground and surely die, new gravity glyphs began to appear in the air for him to land through, slowing down his descent enough that even though he landed viciously hard it wouldn’t be outright fatal. While the impact definitely did damage, it was nothing his aura wouldn’t start to heal once it eventually regenerated.  
The other Huntsmen began to make their way back into the town square, where the impact of the meteor had the street crunched and warped. The ones that weren’t in total shock got to work cleaning up the remaining Grimm, which were still numerous, while the rest of Team SKTC ran their way over to where Kylar laid unconscious and bleeding with Tacita sliding to her knees at his side.

Close to the edge of the town square, Weiss Schnee lowered her rapier from where she had been focusing and slumped against the nearest wall, her own aura flickering from the sheer exhaustion of casting so many glyphs. The rest of Team RWBY were looking between her and Kylar, and she waved them off.

“I’m alright...he’s just heavier than he looks.”

Cradling Kylar’s head on her lap and trying not to despair at the broken and disjointed angles of his left leg and arm, Tacita brushed his hair from his face, everyone in the square looking up when the rubble of the breach began to rumble and move, hand’s going back to weapons, before everyone watched as Professor Goodwitch stepped into the square and focused hard, gradually using her own Semblance to settle the rubble and rocks down until it was all reasonably flat and set like cobblestone, as she got to work reconstructing the square.

Meanwhile Professor Firenei, her own rifle out, ran her way over and dropped down, quickly checking Kylar’s pulse with her fingers and sighing with a relieved nod. “He’s alive, but his pulse is weak and that’s...a lot of damage. I’ll call an evac. Gods above, you four. You’ll send me grey in my mid-thirties.”

“You know what happened?” Shina asked, looking over at her, and she nodded before pointing to where the Atlas military craft had started hovering overhead to provide support, the Atlas Knights dropping down to help deal with the stragglers.

“We could all see from the airjet surveillance equipment, and it was also hard to miss that rock crash to the earth. That was the most recklessly dangerous and stupid thing I think I’ve ever… With the amount of aura that must have drained, it’s a _miracle_ he’s breathing.” She trailed off and simply sighed in exasperation as she finished calling in the medical evac, a medical transport on the way. “His father arrives in two days, and he’s going to kill Professor Ozpin with his bare hands.”

Looking around at the gathered fighters, as many of the huntsmen nearby had wandered closer after finishing up their work, Professor Firenei looked to a swaying and tired Weiss and gave a firm look and smile. “Thank you, Ms Schnee. You without a doubt saved his life.”

Weiss gave a tired smile as she leant on Yang, the blonde girl holding her arm around her neck to keep her up.

The rest of Team SKTC looked up at Weiss with wide eyes, Tacita’s face wobbling for a moment before she gave a sincere but scared smile. “...thank you Weiss. You...thanks.”

“He was showing off.” Weiss huffed, waving her hand dismissively. “I was hardly going to let _him_ do it _all_.”

Chrystal giggled, the sound wet from anxiety and worried for her friend, as she smiled at all of Team RWBY. “Thanks, you four. I’m glad you guys are alright, from whatever it was that was down there.”

“Alright everyone, back up and give us some room. Go on now, more transports will be arriving soon to get you all back to the school. I suspect the medical ward is going to be very busy with many of you.” Professor Goodwitch huffed at them all as she pushed through the crowd, her stern look having them all scatter without protest. Crossing her arms and looking down at SKTC, she let out a drawn-out sigh and shook her head, though the fierce worry was visible underneath the movement. “Well, it was longer than three days this time. Lianna, I’m assuming you’ve called for transport?”

Professor Firenei nodded, standing to speak to her colleague. “He’s pretty beaten up from the landing, even though he was slowed down. There’s a lot of broken bones, Glynda, and his aura didn’t just _break_ , it _disintegrated_. He’s completely run out.”

“After that stunt he pulled? It’s amazing he’s not pulp.” Glynda looked down at SKTC with thinned lips, before all five of them looked up as a medical airjet landed nearby, two staff immediately jumping out and jogging over with a stretcher.

As their teammate was lifted up, Tacita and Chrystal immediately jumped up into the transport as well, but just when Shina was about to, Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Work on the assumption that Professor Ozpin and I are going to want to have words with the four of you, along with Team RWBY who discovered this mess. Understood, Mr Kamisari?”

“Yes ma’am.” Shina nodded, giving a tired but polite smile as he hopped up into the transport, the two teachers watching as the door closed and the airjet lifted off to quickly head back to the medical ward.

Looking around at the town square as plenty of the Huntsmen teams were scattered around resting and talking, recovering after the fight, Glynda nodded to Port and Oobleck, who got to work talking to each group of students, checking in and dismissing those who could be dismissed. With this many students involved, they were mostly free to make their ways back to the campus and recharge, with only Team RWBY needed to give any sort of debriefing as they were the ones who discovered the chaos below Mountain Glenn that led to the breach in the first place.  
Lianna sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, before pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. “It’s been a long few weeks.”

“It certainly has.” Glynda agreed, her hands folded behind her back as per usual as she looked around.

“Especially for those eight. RWBY and SKTC.”

“Yes...especially for them.” Glynda sighed, shaking her head in tired frustration. “If it’s not one, it’s the other, or it’s both.”

“I’m not entirely sure who can claim credit for this one. It was SKTC’s intel that led to Team RWBY’s mission being planned in the first place.” Lianna opened her eyes just to rub them, crossing her arms over her chest before looking over to where several of the student teams had congregated, most of them looking to be perfectly okay, if just a bit tired.  
Glynda stepped up next to her with her hands behind her back, as they both looked at the students that had just fought, now all with exhausted smiles on their faces as laughter came out, venting the last of the excited adrenaline. Eyeing up team RWBY, Glynda then flicked her eyes up to the transport carrying team SKTC that was disappearing into the distance. She gave out a stressed sigh as she thought over it all.

“Ozpin enabled both of those missions. That man…”

Lianna shrugged. “You know him better than I do.”

Humming noncommittally as she looked out and around the square, Glynda didn’t speak for the rest of the afternoon, not on that particular matter, only speaking again when they both stepped out of one of the last transports to have come back to the academy, and they began quickly making their way to Ozpin’s office, Firenei following behind almost aimlessly while Glynda walked with fierce purpose.

“Sometimes I don’t feel like I know Ozpin at all.” Glynda sighed in frustrated exhaustion, glancing at Lianna next to her.

“...Ironwood said something similar to me at the dance.” Lianna frowned and shook her head, forced to shrug helplessly. “Do you trust him to know what the hell he’s doing?”

“...I do. I have to. I’ve trusted him this long.” Glynda said with another sigh as they called the elevator to go up, the two women glancing at each other.

Lianna took a breath in and gave a helpless look with a hint of a smile. “I _really_ don’t want to be in the room when Logan finds out what happened to his son on Ozpin’s watch.”

“You went to school with his parents, didn’t you? What should I expect?” Glynda raised her eyebrows at the stressed and amused laugh that Lianna gave.

“Oh Ozpin’s dead. That’s just what’s going to happen. Is Tesse coming too?”

“From what Kylar has told us, yes.” Glynda answered carefully and slowly, raising her eyebrow in concern.  
Snorting, Lianna looked down and shook her head in resigned amusement as they stepped into the lift, Glynda hitting the button.

As they stepped into Ozpin’s office, the man was standing and looking out of his massive window with his hands folded behind his back as General Ironwood paced back and forth stressfully, clearly mid-sentence which he cut off as he looked over at the two women. He blinked in concern. “What’s the situation there?”

“It’s finished. Just the final clean-up now. All the injured are being taken care of, we don’t believe there were any student casualties, but they’re all back at the academy and being checked over by the medical bay.” Glynda made her way over and took her normal place, crossing her arms and looking down tiredly.

Ironwood nodded, relieved, and sat against Ozpin’s desk. Running a hand over his face, he looked over his shoulder at Ozpin. “This is a horror, Oz. How many things are going to stack up before you make a move? Innocent people died today.”

The professor shook his head while still looking out the window. “And do what, James? What would a move look like?”

“We need boots on the ground, Oz. Torchwick and the White Fang would _never_ have gotten away with this if we’d found them sooner. But no, instead we let _four students_ find him at the docks. Those _same four students_ encountered him selling weapons in that warehouse and went after him _again_ . And those _same four students_ discovered them again today. It should never have gotten this far.”

“We can’t exactly implement martial law, James.” Glynda sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

The man gave a tired sigh and looked down, closing his eyes to rest them, while Ozpin turned and gave Lianna Firenei a tired but thankful smile. “Thank you for rushing to check on them, Lianna. How is Mr Goroesi?”

“He’ll live. _Barely_. His aura was gone even before he hit the ground.” Lianna said anxiously, shaking her head in worry. “Almost his entire left side is a mess of broken bones and internal damage from how he landed. He’s going to be out for a few days. But he’ll live.”

“He saved countless lives today, Oz.” Ironwood spoke up again, his eyes still closed. “Team SKTC have been just as busy as Team RWBY. _They_ figured out the intel on Torchwick’s location, Ms Everweb fired at the intruder the night of the ball and _hit them_ , and now Mr Goroesi almost killed himself just to close the crater. Eight _students_ have done more in the hunt for our enemies than _we_ have, in recent weeks.”

“They have, and we will speak to them and get to the bottom of all of it.” Ozpin gave James a pointed look before smiling at Lianna again. “I’m sorry Lianna, but would you mind excusing us?”

Blinking and raising her eyebrows, Lianna looked between the other three in the room and then nodded hesitantly in surprise, stepping back towards the door. “Uhh, sure. I’ll go check on Kylar’s team. They’ll all be in the medical ward, most likely. I suspect Tacita will sleep there.”

“Please do, thank you. Let me know if his condition worsens at all.” Ozpin smiled at her again, watching her leave, before turning to the other two once his office door was closed.

The room was silent for a minute after Firenei left, the three inside of it merely resting and trying to organise their thoughts, before eventually Ironwood ran his hand over his forehead and let out a shallow breath.

“We don’t even know what it was they were intending, with a horde of Grimm right underneath our feet. A horde we knew was somewhere nearby, we received that intel Oz, you gave me a copy of that report.”

“One part of a far larger plan. I suppose it’s only a matter of time until the rest either comes to fruition, or fails. Roman Torchwick was one pawn of many, with his failure it is almost certain the others will either rush or panic.” Ozpin nodded in agreement, turning to look out of his window and narrowing his eyes as he looked out over the city.

“Torchwick’s gang, the White Fang… Our enemies have spread their influence to everywhere that hates us, Ozpin.” Glynda stepped up next to him and leaned to be able to look into his eyes, raising her eyebrows at him. “And they clearly have people in the academy itself. Ozpin, they’re everywhere now. Seemingly so, at the very least.”

“She’s right, Oz.” Ironwood nodded, still leaning on the edge of the desk and his back to the two of them. “This is an infection that has been able to spread, everywhere it touches down. Now it’s right here in your backyard, on the eve of one of the most important events we hold.”

“I will not allow you to deploy an army to the city streets, James. Fear is just as much our enemy as her pawns are, and in fact it would only aid them.”

Ironwood leaned forward and ran his hands over his face, wincing in stressed exhaustion as he stood. “Since Atlas Knights _were_ used today, I have to go speak to the council. But this is getting ridiculous Oz. At least we finally have Torchwick, but there’s no way he’ll give up whoever it was who hired him.”

“Almost certainly not, no.” Ozpin agreed, shaking his head.

Without another word, but giving Oz a slow look, Ironwood shook his head as he left the room, with Glynda following soon afterwards.

As he stood in his office, Oz thought over the events of the day before turning one of the monitors on his desk and swiping back to the surveillance footage of the breach fight, and rewatching what Kylar did. The young boy was just as clever as his father, and far more capable than his father had been at his age, but he didn’t think he had limits. And today he almost paid for that with his life.

Frowning in thought as he focused on it, he tapped at his keyboard to bring up the intel that SKTC had gathered, including their insights, and then footage of Shina’s sparring matches in recent classes, particularly the spikes in power levels whenever Shina accessed his Semblance and the sensors would go wild. He was a capable leader, as good a fighter as Ms Nikos with the potential to become better as his Semblance continued to develop, and he did have good intentions despite his still aggressive methods. 

Bringing up another window on a different monitor, he went back in the archives to access the footage of their orientation in the Emerald Forest and brought out all the footage of Chrystal that had been taken, along with footage of her most recent fights as well. The way she moved, her speed, the fact she was as untouchable as Ms Nikos and far more agile, her instincts that were almost superhuman on their own. Security footage from within the city showed the way she moved between buildings and across rooftops, no matter the terrain. Her instincts were focused and despite the directionless snark and playfulness she gave off she had an incredibly strong mind.

Finally, he brought up security footage of Tacita’s shooting while in Quadrant 5, along with faint security footage from the shooting the night of the ball. Bringing up her insight map from their mission, he then brought up all the compiled clues and hints he’d put together of just how far her range had expanded. Test scores, psych profile, her scores at the firing range.  
His eyes flicking over all the information in front of him, he tapped his fingers on his desk and pushed his glasses up his nose with his finger, frowning as he considered it all.

Sinking down into his desk chair, he let out a drawn-out sigh as he took his glasses from his face to clean them, lost in thought.

Today had been yet another shot in the war that had been going on for far too long now, and yet it carried all the signs of a misfire and not the real thing. Which meant the true attack, the true strike, was still brewing. But with no way of knowing where their enemy might be hiding, despite knowing they were within the school itself and with connections out in the city and far further beyond, all they could do for now was prepare their defences. There was no offensive measure to be taken that wouldn’t just excite the area’s Grimm, and they had no decisive target to strike at in the first place.

In many ways, their defence potentially hinged on Ms Nikos, which was a conversation with the girl that was yet to be had. It was their best bet, apart from other measures that were being carefully taken by him. Subtle moves he had made, some of them years in advance, that had every chance of paying off.

Remembering that Kylar’s parents were due to arrive in two days, Ozpin sat forward in his chair and templed his fingers underneath his chin. He knew the sort of questions they were likely to ask him, they were reasonable and intelligent, and they also _knew_ him.  
More important than that, was that they also knew the truth.   
Team BLAK had once been one of his best hopes to help against her forces. One of the bare few huntsmen teams that he had ever let in on the truth, and they had helped him willingly when he had asked. But, they had failed and paid the price, only Logan and Tesse remained, neither of them willing to pick up their weapons ever again.  
Where they failed, SKTC might succeed, when the time came.

Swiping through to the school security footage of Shina and Chrystal brutalising team CRDL, he sighed in concern.

One day, they might have to know the truth.

But not yet. They had a lot of growing up to do.

A lot.

Otherwise instead of them helping to save the world, he might end up unleashing new horrors onto it.


	9. Mixed Messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kylar seemingly out of danger and stable in the medical ward, an old tension between Shina and Chrystal causes damage that might echo further into the future than either might think. Finding comfort in the arms of her boyfriend, Chrystal and Petyr's warm evening is interrupted by the nagging mystery of why Team SKTC's report was never followed up on.  
> The only way to possibly get to the bottom of it might require Chrystal swallowing her pride, and becoming a hypocrite in the process.

Inside the small room in the academy medical ward where Kylar was laid up in bed, unconscious and bandaged, there were only two audible sounds. The first was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor, thankfully showing a pulse that was weak yet still consistent, while also displaying an aura level that was still completely empty even after three hours since he had lost it all.  
The second sound was the equally as rhythmic, except far more prominent, metallic shrill as Chrystal dragged a fine-grit whetstone along the edge of her blades while she sat in one of the few chairs in the room.

Being an interior room, there were no windows, the only source of light being the dispassionate fluorescent on the ceiling that was so well maintained it didn’t flicker at all, keeping the room bathed in a bright and even grey lighting that made the lack of colour in Kylar’s cheeks far more pronounced. All three members of his team sat around quietly, Tacita at his bedside with her hand on his still arm, her eyes closed as she meditated and attempted to calm and organise her own mind.

Meanwhile Shina and Chrystal sat on opposite sides of the room, a layout rare enough that Shina shot Chrystal the occasional concerned glance as the girl stared at one of the blank walls as she sharpened her already razor-sharp swords. The girl was being uncharacteristically silent, and apart from the movement of her hands she was entirely still, with none of her normal twitching or biting of her lip to show any concern.  
When the heart monitor lost its rhythm for a few moments as the deeply unconscious Kylar stirred ever so slightly and his heartrate fluctuated for the barest instant, all three teammates looked to the monitor in concern before relaxing again when it went back to normal.  
There was no way of knowing just how long Kylar was going to be out of it. With no aura left at all his wounds weren’t healing at the normally accelerated rate of a Huntsman. So it was a waiting game. Waiting until the first drop of his aura returned.

And none of them seemed to have any interest in budging until then. Even when Professor Firenei had visited and told them that it would be best to get some sleep and that the medical ward would almost certainly contact them the moment Kylar showed any progress, none of them moved a muscle.   
The look on her face when she left the room had made it clear she wasn’t surprised.

As time passed, Shina kept throwing Chrystal the same concerned looks while Tacita remained in her trance. Eventually some sort of unspoken pressure between the two-pseudo siblings, who were both normally talkative to the point it drove the other two crazy, boiled over and Shina spoke up.

“He’ll be okay. They gave him a complete lookover, he’s going to-”

What he was saying was interrupted by a horrific scraping sound as Chrystal’s hand lost the fine rhythm and the stone dragged along the hardened blade at the wrong angle and she stopped, still looking at the wall.  
With the lack of that rhythmic sound the room suddenly seemed to be painfully silent, and Shina closed his mouth without continuing what he was going to say, instead leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his legs, running his hands over his face and through his air.  Things were quiet for a few more minutes, no-one saying anything and seeming to be content to remain quiet and off in their own thoughts. The uncharacteristic silence had Tacita shift ever so slightly, her trance disrupted by the change in what she sensed in her surroundings, but she quickly slipped back into it.  
Shina looked up as Chrystal picked up her weapon harness from the floor and slowly slid her blades back into it, her face still impassive.

He took a small breath before giving a grim smile. “We know his aura recharges slower than any of ours. But it will, and when it does we’ll know for sure that he’ll be-”

Interrupted yet again, his eyes widened and he had to quickly jerk out of the way to avoid the whetstone that was thrown at him full force, the grained rock smashing into the metal wall and sending off a resounding clang that had Tacita give a pained wince and open her eyes, shaking her head to stop her sensitive ears from ringing.  
Looking from where the rock had clattered to the floor, up to the girl who had thrown it, Shina met Chrystal’s enraged eyes. But apart from her stare, her face was still composed and impassive except for the slightest tightening of the sides of her mouth from where she was biting the inside of her cheeks.  
Staring into each other's eyes for a few moments, Chrystal was the first one to break as she stood abruptly, snatching her harness off the floor and storming out, slinging it onto her back as she made her way out of the medical ward and into the outside air.

When the doors opened again barely a moment after they had slid closed behind her, she didn’t look to her side when Shina caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder, though she did stop in her walk.

“He’s going to be alright.”

“That’s not the point.” Her voice was low, and deceptively ice-cold, and she didn’t glance over at him as she answered, instead she paused for a moment as he squeezed her shoulder before starting to walk away again, heading around the back of the building and towards one of the groves of trees that were within the campus walls, not looking behind her as Shina followed.

Pausing once she was deep enough in the cluster of trees that none of the buildings were visible, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself and attempt to refocus her thoughts, but the attempt was foiled at the sound of Shina leaning against a tree behind her. Something about his relaxed and passive composure irked her greatly enough she spun to face him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.  
Once she noticed, she folded her arms over her chest to hide it, and slowly managed to unclench them. Shina was looking at her with a face he had built from the ground up since arriving at Beacon, she referred to it as his Leader Face, and it was one he wore when he believed he was dealing with a problem or threat directly related to the team and  _ not  _ a personal issue.

Enraged dark brown eyes stabbed into passive dark gold ones, a shade that was almost impossibly rare in humans but was a prominent Kamisari trait and that Chrystal had always been envious of, worried that her normal brown ones were boring in comparison.  
Normally his eyes were bright and shining, but when he put on his Leader Face they went dull and cool, calm and collected.  
It infuriated her sometimes.

Like right now.

Refusing to break off eye contact, she slowly uncrossed his arms and lowered her hands by her sides again, making sure her hands remained unclenched, taking slow and deep breaths. He waited patiently, watching as she worked on calming down.  
It wasn’t working, in fact the more deep breaths she took the more rapid ones her body and mind wanted to take.

Shina stood up straight from where he had been leaning and slowly gestured with his hands placatingly and reassuringly. “He’s going to be okay. The damage is severe, but nothing permanent.”

“That’s not the point. The point is he received it in the first place.” She had to pause and swallow halfway through to get past the quiver in her voice, but she still made sure to keep it calm and slow. “He shouldn’t be this injured.”

“This isn’t the first time one of us has been injured badly in a fight or on a mission. The important thing is that he’ll live.”

Unable to bite back her anger, anger that was covering a panic she refused to acknowledge, her eyes narrowed. “He should never have been up there.”

“Someone had to do something-” Shina’s voice was still calm and reassuring, and he gave a sad and almost pleading half-smile, blinking when she interrupted him yet again.

“None of  _ us  _ had to. It wasn’t our place to make the big plays. It wasn’t his place to fly into the sky and be the hero, and it…” She let out a slow breath. “It wasn’t  _ your  _ place to send him up there.”

Staring at her quietly for a few moments, Shina clenched his jaw and broke off his stare, looking off into his own thoughts that he had been trying to assuage ever since the fight had finished and they’d hopped up onto the medevac. Licking his lips anxiously, he looked back to her.  
“This wasn’t our fault. If he hadn’t landed as hard as he did, he’d be fine.”

“If it wasn’t for the Schnee girl, he’d be  _ dead _ .” Chrystal stressed out the last word, taking a step towards him as her eyes flashed. “We are not the saviors of Beacon, Shina. No matter how much we might want to be? We  _ aren’t ready _ . Not for things like what happened. I wish we were. But we’re not.”

Sucking in a breath, Shina met her stare again and his eyes narrowed and steeled, the calm Leader Face slipping away as his posture tensed and he shook his head slowly, almost in a warning.  
“We don’t have a choice in that, Chrystal.”

“Yes, we do. You looked at a battlefield that was  _ far  _ out of our paygrade, a battlefield where those of our skill level were assigned only to containment, and you decided to save the world.”

“You think this is  _ my  _ fault?” Shina’s voice cracked as he tilted his head in hurt bewilderment, and he took another step forward. “That it’s my fault one of my best friends is nearly dead?”

“Yours, his, mine, Tacita’s…” Chrystal let out a slow breath and looked down at the ground, her hands clenching into fists again as she shook her head.

As Chrystal collected herself, Shina had to look away and close his eyes. Fighting near the crater, he had seen a problem that needed solving and gone for a potential solution that he had known had a chance of working if Kylar did well, which he trusted his friend to always manage. They’d had no way of knowing how long it would take for the staff to get there, or how long they had until a gap in the perimeter appeared and Grimm broke through and even more civilians were endangered.  
There’d been no better ideas at the time.  
But he knew she wouldn’t see it that way. All Chrystal saw was her friend nearly dead in a hospital bed.

Her voice broke the tense silence as she looked back up, her breathing back under her control but her eyes no calmer. If anything, the fire in them was even brighter.

“Kylar was given the opportunity to prove and show how amazing he is and he practically killed himself doing it, because he  _ always  _ will if given the chance to...be amazing.” Chrystal punctuated with a sweep of her hand as she took a few steps forward, the distance between the two of them closing rapidly. “Things were  _ holding _ , Shina. But no, we stepped in, again. This wasn’t the same as the caves, Shina. Far more lives were at risk.  _ Civilians _ . We aren’t ready to make those calls. Our friend, our teammate, is nearly dead in a bed as proof of that. We took too big a risk.”

“And it worked. We took a risk, a major one, yes. But we decided to act, and it worked.” Shina punctuated his own words with a stressed sweeping gesture of his own, his voice raising slightly towards the end.

Staring at him in disappointed anger for a few moments, Chrystal scrunched up her face slightly as she raised her own voice. “That’s  _ not  _ the  _ point _ , Shina. And  _ we  _ didn't make the decision to act... _ you _ did.”

Shina was almost rocked back on his heels at the fiercely disappointed and accusatory look she gave him once again as she gestured at him at the end of what she said. Leaning back as he flinched, he looked away and bit his bottom lip.  
In a lot of ways, what she was saying was right. If Weiss hadn’t been there, Kylar would have died, without question. But their plan working had closed the hole in the street and stopped a flood of Grimm that had shown no signs of slowing down or stopping. Now it would simply be a matter of a few squadrons going down into the tunnels and cleaning up the rest of the horde now that it was contained.  
But his friend had nearly died, and was half-broken in a hospital bed, because of an order he had given as team leader.

There’d been no better solutions available. Just that one.

Watching as her friend’s mask of confidence began to crumble, Chrystal would have normally felt the compassionate pull to slow down, but she was burning too hot inside.  
“Shina? I love our job. Killing monsters, kicking ass. It’s the  _ best _ .” She gave a dry laugh, but shook her head frustratedly. “But  _ that  _ was not our job. We  _ also  _ have a habit of doing our heroics alone, and next time a Schnee might not be there. _ ” _

“You want us to have to hold back because we  _ might  _ lose?” Shina frowned at her questioningly, his own tone sharpening as his eyes narrowed. “This  _ is _ the job, Chrystal. And one day, one of us or more are going to die. We fight monsters for a living, we fight in  _ general  _ for a living.”

“That’s not an excuse to rush into-”

“We  _ didn’t  _ rush.  **We** **_did our job_ ** , all of us did.” Shina closed the distance between the two of them until they were almost close enough they could reach out and touch each other, his glare at her was sharp and, above all, showed that he was  _ hurt _ . “If any of the other teams had thought of a potential solution, any of them would have tried. Don’t throw the fact that we had the capability of making the big play into my face as if it was a bad thing to try.”

“And you’d keep betting our lives on that?” Chrystal shot back angrily, before her eyes widened enraged when Shina’s eyebrows raised in aggressive acceptance.

“It’s my job, but if given the opportunity I’d always bet my own first.” He spread his hands helplessly, before shrugging to acknowledge a few points. “Sure, fine. We haven’t graduated. But one day we will, and then it  _ will  _ be our responsibility to make those sorts of calls.  _ My  _ responsibility, as you’ve repeatedly reminded me during this conversation. And I’m never going to enjoy it.”

As they matched glares, Chrystal clenched her jaw and her eyes narrowed, her hands shaking at her sides as she kept clenching and unclenching her fists, meanwhile Shina’s glare was fuelled by both the justification in what he believed, but also the fact...he was hurt. Maybe that didn’t have a place in an argument about something like this, but it was also something he couldn’t quite push aside.  
This was an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and normally neither of them would budge.

Snarling in frustration, Chrystal turned her back to him and drew one of her pistols to vent her anger on a tree before she remembered where they were, and she took a few calming breaths before she spun it back into its holster. But she didn’t turn back to Shina. Pausing for a moment as she once again attempted to calm down, instead she merely drew her fist back and punched the closest tree as hard as she could, her dark grey aura flashing around her hand from the pain of the impact as splinters exploded.  
While she didn’t have the raw strength to break a tree like Yang, Nora or Lelise did, every Huntsman’s unlocked aura made them stronger than the average person, and so the tree still cracked and splintered under the impact with a loud crunch.  
Bringing her hand back, she watched as the cuts and scrapes on her knuckles healed and closed, before resting her head against the trunk and letting out a long sigh, closing her eyes for only a few moments before Shina’s voice made her open them again.

His voice was quiet, and softer.

“...I want you to understand that no-one is more scared of my orders killing one of us, than me.” Looking down, he crossed his arms and leaned against the nearest tree, taking the steps over to it slowly. “I’d love it if we all retired from old age. But I can’t think of many Huntsmen teams that we know of who all made it out alive. My dad’s team didn’t. Kylar’s parent’s team didn’t.”

Thinking over what he said and taking in the soft and vulnerable tone of his voice, Chrystal found it slightly easier to calm down as she gently thumped her forehead against the trunk a couple of times, before straightening up and shaking her head, running her hands through her hair to get rid of the splinters. Without turning to face him, she sighed.  
“We aren’t a graduated team yet, Shina. Don’t be so willing to jump onto the pyre just because one day it’ll be our job to. Right now, those sorts of decisions...Professor Ozpin, Professor Firenei and the others, even the Atlesian General…” She shook her head in resignation, finally turning to face him as she continued, her eyes finally calm and heavy as she put her hands into the pockets of her pants and bit her lip. “It’s  _ their  _ job. The Atlas military deployed less than a minute after Kylar sealed the hole. What we did wasn’t necessary. And ultimately not worth the possible cost.”

Looking over at each other, they met stares again, but instead of a glare this time it was sad and beleaguered and incredibly stressed. Neither of them could really refute the points the other one was making for the most part, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try regardless, because they believed they were right.  
And because they were both scared.

Eventually it was Shina who looked away first, and he put his own hands into his pockets, looking down at the ground and scuffing his boot into the dirt. “Kylar’s parents arrive in two days…”

“Yeah...I know.” She sighed, making her way over to him slowly and tiredly, to stand in front of him close enough they could reach out and touch each other if they tried. “Even if he isn’t awake by then, they won’t blame you.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Shina scoffed disparagingly.

Shaking her head slowly, Chrystal thinned her lips. In truth, she wasn’t sure. Herself and Shina had only met Kylar’s parents once, and very briefly. Which wasn’t enough to get a good read on someone’s personality. But his mother seemed to be kind, though his father was composed and serious. Neither of them came off with the likelihood of being malicious or blameful, but there was no way of knowing for sure.  
So at best, she could only hope.  For Shina’s sake.  
Hesitating for a moment, she reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, what had been a raging inferno of anger died down to persistent embers at the vulnerable and self-doubting look on her best friend’s face, and in a small part of her mind she felt like an asshole. But she also believed what she had said, and that was important too.

He looked up and met her eyes, as they both gave each other resigned and tired smiles.

Squeezing his shoulder, she stepped away, looking in the direction of the medical ward. “Shall we go back and check?”

“...not much else to do if you don't want to keep shouting at each other.” Shina sighed, nodding.

"Oh we're not done." She looked back to him and her eyes flashed angrily again. "But I don't want to do this while he's still knocked out."

Making their way back out of the grove of trees, standing as close to each other as they normally did, both of them were only slightly surprised to see Tacita leaning against the outer wall of the building near the door, her bow on her back and Shina’s sword leaning next to her. But they  _ were  _ both surprised by the serious and almost angry look in her eyes as they approached, her arms crossed and tapping her fingers on each arm.  
“You two couldn’t wait until he was awake and we could all have our own input into it?” She let out a slow breath, looking between each of their eyes and making sure to stare at each of them equally. “Or was this more about venting anger and guilt than it was about discussing how our team works? Your unconscious teammate might actually have his own opinions about what he risks his life for, and when he does it.”

Each of them flinched and looked equally ashamed and guilty as the normally distracted girl pinned them both with a hard and  _ disappointed  _ stare.

She thinned her lips. “I came out to tell you that his aura has started to reawaken. Only bare flickers, but it’s there. They said he’ll be out another day or two. So for now, let’s go eat and rest. Our own auras need to replenish too.”

Sighing and nodding, Shina gave Tacita an apologetic look, catching Hornet’s Kiss as she tossed it to him and slipping it onto his back, meanwhile Chrystal bit the inside of her bottom lip as she glanced at the other girl, the three of them tiredly making their way back to their dorm.  
“I’m sorry.”

“It’s…” Tacita sighed, the frustration and focus having left her eyes and that slightly distant look gradually returning to them. She gave a tired shrug. “I understand it. But you can’t always get this angry every time one of us almost dies. Just as  _ you _ ,” She shot her stare to Shina. “can’t lead well if you’re so resigned to the possibility of losing.”

Neither of them could think of a way to respond to her as they made the rest of the way back to their dorm, Shina pulling his keys from his pocket as they reached their door. The moment the door clicked closed behind them, Tacita looked at the other two and gave them both a firm but glowing look.

“Try and have a bit more faith. And if you’re too scared to believe in us as an independent team just yet...believe in the people who  _ do  _ believe in us.” She smiled softly, stepping forward to place one hand on each of their shoulders, softly kissing Shina’s cheek and then Chrystal’s. “Professor Ozpin wouldn’t have accepted us into the academy, or sent us on the missions we’ve been on, if he didn’t think we each had something in us that could help the world. And, I think so far...we have.”

Smiling softly back at her, Chrystal’s eyes faltered and she glanced away, and while Tacita caught it she chose to let it go. Meanwhile Shina gave her a small smile as he stepped away and went over to his bed, already stripping out of his jacket and opening his drawers to grab more comfortable clothes. Keeping her hand on Chrystal’s shoulder, she gently turned the girl so they faced each other, but before she had the opportunity to speak Chrystal stepped out of physical contact and went over to get changed as well, finally changing out of her armour and instead into slightly more casual clothes that were still reasonably tidy; a thick leather jacket, tough jeans, and strong boots, before putting her harness back on.

“I’m...going out.” She sighed, not looking over at the other two as she tightened the straps of her harness over her chest.

“You sure?” Shina frowned, but Tacita gave a small shake of her head to deter him which Chrystal couldn’t see. He frowned at it but resigned, slumping slightly.

Without looking over at them, Chrystal nodded and opened her weapon case, grabbing fresh ammo clips to replace the ones she’d spent at the breach earlier. “I’m going to go see if Petyr wants to grab dinner, or hang out. I’ve been showing him the city, so...yeah. I just want to see him, I guess.”

Surrendering to Tacita’s look, Shina sighed and nodded behind Chrystal’s back, sitting down on his bed and surrendering as he watched the impassive but tight expression on his best friend’s face, of what he could see of it. “Alright. I hope it helps.”

Tacita smiled over at Chrystal as well as she laid back on her own bed. “Just be safe.”

“No promises.” Chrystal smiled down at her weapon case as she clicked it closed and slid it back under her bed, finally glancing over her shoulder at them and giving a small wave as she left, locking the door behind her.

+=+=+

As the sun began its true descent down the horizon, the blue sky turning a deep orange and red, Chrystal almost felt herself slipping back into the same angry depression that had gripped her earlier when suddenly a french fry appeared in front of her nose, having her go almost cross-eyed.  
Smirking, she took it into her mouth and looked up at Petyr from where she was curled up into his chest, the two of them laying on the roof of one of the classroom blocks, sprawled out on a thick blanket he had nicked from his room.

With a quick trip into the city to grab burgers and chips turning into a makeshift picnic on one of the highest rooftops in the school, neither of them had felt much of a need to talk as they sat and ate together. If Chrystal wanted to talk, Petyr would talk, but he could also tell when she instead wanted quiet and was always happy to simply be there with her when she needed it. They both knew he was in no danger of getting bored by it, he always had something to think about or plan or organise, or could simply just get lost in his imagination for hours at a time.  
Sighing silently, she pressed a kiss to his chest and closed her eyes, raising an eyebrow as he continued eating from their rather gratuitous pile of hot chips, before opening a single eye and looking up at him to catch him eating multiple at a time. Catching her staring at him, he froze and looked away shyly, swallowing and smiling.

“...fighting got me hungry.”

“Mm.” Chrystal nodded in agreement, reaching across him to grab a chip herself, before looking up at him again. “It was fun finally watching you in action. And here I was worried you’d be a total pushover.”

“Only half of one.” He stuck out his tongue at her playfully, and got a smack on the nose with a chip in response along with a playful glare.

“You were amazing. I’ve never seen support techniques quite like that.” She stared up at him to nail it into him just how serious she was, smiling softly when he opened and closed his mouth a few times and blushed slightly, the man looking down shyly.

Thinking over her compliment for a few moments, his shy smile widened and he shrugged modestly. “I don’t have much aura, and I’m too clumsy to fight close-range, but...well, with how advanced Atlas technology is, along with my Semblance...sorta just made sense.”

“I get that.” Chrystal nodded, closing her eyes and snuggling in closer, pressing a kiss to his chest again. “Same here. In a way. My aura isn’t particularly strong either, but with my Semblance it doesn’t need to be. Helps that I grew up climbing trees and cliffs.”

Nodding in understanding, Petyr tilted his head in thought as he looked off at the horizon, popping another chip into his mouth and frowning. It had surprised his entire family immensely when he’d expressed a desire to become a Huntsman. None of his family had ever been in the profession, they were all engineers or technicians and always had been, his parents had  _ met  _ in a lab.  
It was a legacy he had initially been all too happy to follow.

But then his Semblance had awakened, and his family had erupted into excitement for his potential and his future. An Atlesian roboticist who could communicate with technology? It couldn’t have been more perfect. But during a visit to his father’s lab, which spent a lot of time working with military software contracts, he had ‘heard’ one of the servers enter into distress. Unable to resist the pull of his new gift, he had touched it to speak to it, and the immense amount of military data he had been exposed to had horrified him. Everything from Grimm numbers, to casualties, to sighting reports. Because his mind wasn’t a computer itself, it wasn’t kept out by passwords or firewalls, but encryptions still worked against him, it being the same thing as if hearing words in a language you didn’t speak.  
So while he didn’t get complete access to the  _ military  _ servers, almost all the Academy servers were open to him.

And everything he had seen, data from the military  _ and  _ the academy, had...inspired action. Much like Beacon, Atlas Academy had rigorous entrance requirements, and Petyr had almost no aptitude for combat, but his intellect combined with his Semblance had apparently been worth making an exception if it meant having him at the Academy’s disposal. Of course, he’d learned as much as he could, and he wasn’t completely helpless in a close encounter, but he’d made sure to kit himself out in such a way that he didn’t  _ need  _ to be good at it.  
His drones could do it for him.

It was pretty easy to manage to progressively perfect a robot when you could actually ‘verbally’ ask it what it was insecure about in combat, and get an actual answer that you could fix or upgrade.  
Yet still, everyone was still so surprised he’d become a Huntsman.  
But after hearing the thousand voices of the military servers tell him about everyone who was dying, all the places that were struggling...how could he not act?

How could  _ anyone  _ not act?

The General didn’t intend on him entering field service once he graduated, and Petyr knew that, instead Ironwood had every intention of sticking him into the military Research & Development department for the rest of his life to progressively upgrade the military’s robotics technology.  
But anyone who looked at Drovi Proteci, the name of Petyr’s drone swarm, would be able to see something about him that the military higher-ups refused to accept;

Petyr didn’t like designing weapons.

And yet, Chrystal had noticed it the first time she had ever seen Petyr’s drones in action, when she had come across Team Sparks training together in the largest of Beacon Academy’s target ranges.  
She’d then proceeded to show off her own shooting, particularly the way she was able to do it in the midst of acrobatics and constant movement.  
Petyr smiled down at her.

“I’ve never seen anyone move quite like you do.”

He regretted the wording as soon as he said it, because she immediately looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and a playful smirk. “Well, I do try to impress.”

Unable to hold eye contact, he looked away but was unable to hide the pinkening of his cheeks at all. “I...well, I mean...I’m sure that too.”

Smirking up at him even wider, she raised both eyebrows before giving a playful and nonchalant shrug and closing her eyes again. “You know I’m happy to stay at the pace you want to go at, but when you do eventually want a demonstration do let me know.”

Petyr was silent for a few moments, before he spoke very timidly. “You sure you’re okay with it?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” She frowned, opening her eyes and sitting up properly, her eyes softening when she saw the self-conscious look on his face. “I really don’t mind. The last thing I’d ever want is for you to rush past your comfort zone.”

“...just don’t want to bore you is all.” Petyr sighed, looking down and biting the inside of his lips, before looking back up when Chrystal placed her hand on his cheek to get his attention, and she looked at him with complete softness.

“You never could. I like  _ liking  _ you more than I like  _ desiring  _ you.” She said softly, giving him as reassuring a look as she could before softly kissing him for a few moments, resting her forehead against his and running her fingers down his cheek.

Thinking over it and trying to convince himself she was telling the truth, Petyr nodded, before taking the initiative and kissing her gently for a few moments, getting a surprised but pleased hum from the girl.  
Smiling against her lips, he gently broke off the kiss, but stayed close enough that their noses were brushing.

“You’re a really incredible girl, you know.”

“Well...I go alright.” Chrystal smiled and gave a playful shrug, before her eyes widened at the completely genuine look on his face. “...I’m glad you think I am. I  _ want  _ you to think I am. I mean…”

Realising she was in danger of stammering in the same way he usually did, she immediately cut herself off and looked down with a slight blush, but gently pushing into his touch when he cupped her cheek in his fingers.

Happy to be close to her and stroke her cheek for a couple of minutes, Petyr eventually kissed her forehead and spoke quietly. “I’m not going to enjoy going home after the tournament.”

“I’m not going to enjoy watching you go.”

“I  _ am  _ really looking forward to watching you compete, though.” He smiled, and she looked into his eyes and gave an uncommonly shy smile back in response.

“You’ve been attuned to the servers, so you know the competing teams...how do you think I’m going to do?”

Sitting back slightly and seriously thinking over it as he ran through all the browsing he’d done, none of which was  _ technically  _ illegal since he  _ technically  _ hadn’t  _ hacked  _ into the servers in the dictionary definition of the word. He tilted his head and hummed in consideration as he weighed up all the teams he knew of, before smiling.

“Well you guys getting to the doubles round is pretty likely, but there are a couple of teams that you might find to be tough obstacles. Get past them to the doubles, and assuming it’s you and Shina then I doubt you’ll be in any trouble.”

“Why an easier time in doubles than in the team round?”

“Well, teams are only going to send their best pure-combat members into the doubles, and you and Shina are in the top ranking, especially as a duo. Meanwhile there  _ are  _ teams whose compositions are better than yours, in terms of balancing.”

“...hey Petyr?” Chrystal grinned at him, raising an eyebrow. “You’re a nerd.”

Blinking at her and not having any response, he instead made a fake-offended noise in his throat and huffed. “Well…”

“Oh don’t pout.” Chrystal kissed his nose and giggled. “Normally I’m not into nerds, but you’re a delightful exception.”

“That’s okay, normally I’m not into tomboyish thieves.” He instantly quipped back, getting a surprised look from her that verged on being impressed, and it gradually turned into a look of fake outrage.

“ _ Tomboyish???” _

“Well, I mean…” He shrugged without saying anything more, before grinning. “No denial on the thieving part?”

Laughing, she shrugged in admission and snuggled back down into his chest, snatching up one of the last chips, that were almost completely cold, and grinning as she closed her eyes. “I don’t steal  _ that  _ much.”

“No, not at all.” He smirked in amusement, before pausing for a few beats. “But you’re making good progress on snatching my heart.”

Staying silent for a few moments, Chrystal groaned in disgust and glared up at him. “That was fucking terrible.”

Despite her comment he did spot the faint blush on her cheeks, but he rather wisely elected not to say anything.  
After laying together quietly for a few minutes, each of them off in their own thoughts with Chrystal growing a progressively more and more serious expression on her face, she eventually made a sound of confusion that got his attention.

She looked up at him and frowned in thought. “You know that in the mission my team and I went on a bit back, we figured out that the horde of Grimm was there?”

“Hmm?” Petyr blinked and looked down at her. “The one we fought today?”

“Yeah…” She frowned a bit deeper and sat up the more she thought over it. “It was in our report that we handed in.”

Pausing as he digested the news, Petyr pushed himself up to be properly sitting up and facing her, resting his arms on his legs. He tilted his head in confusion. “That was two weeks ago. There’s no way that the Atlas military would have let that sit there.”

“You’re saying the General would normally have dealt with it?” She tilted her head, before blinking when Petyr shook his head in his own growing sense of confusion.

“It wouldn’t even get up to his point on the chain. If a report of Grimm activity gets entered into the Atlesian servers then an extermination assignment for the Atlesian Knights is generated automatically, it’s part of an efficiency protocol. It takes the estimated Grimm numbers, calculates the appropriate number of Knights needed for the task, and then files the order to be manually confirmed at that point.” Petyr hummed to himself in a growing sense of strange concern.

“...who confirms them?”

“Typically any commissioned officer assigned to a terminal on one of the gunships is able to, once it comes up as pending.” He pointed up to the three massive Atlesian Gunships in the air, and Chrystal followed his pointing finger with eyes narrowed in a growing gnaw of suspicion. At the suspicious look on his girlfriend’s face, his own frown deepened. “It’s a two-step verification process, basically entering your ID Number and then confirming.”

Chrystal was quiet for over a minute as she looked up at the gunship, and she tapped her fingers on her legs. “...I have a favour to ask.”

“You want to go up to the gunship and find out what happened to the report, don’t you.” He was still looking up at the ships as well, and he saw her nod out of the corner of his eye. “Well, you’ll need my help, unless you know how to hack into the Atlas Military Network.”

Blinking in surprise, she looked over at him and took in the serious and concerned frown on his face. “You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?”

“People died today. If the order exists, then if it had been followed through today might never have happened. I can get us up there.” He nodded slowly to himself, planning it in his head and thinning his lips. “But I can deal with the mainframe. So you might not even need to come at all.”

Thinking over the events of the day, keenly aware that if things had gone as they were meant to go then her teammate wouldn’t currently be in the medical bay with half of his body filled with broken bones, she mentally scanned over everything they knew about what had happened, and she narrowed her eyes and sucked in a breath.

“General Ironwood has custody of that Torchwick guy, right? The guy who planned today?”

“...Chrystal...getting to one of the terminals is one thing, but getting into the brig?” Petyr let out a slow and anxious breath, shaking his head. “That’s a whole other level of illegal.”

Still staring up at the gunships, Chrystal began to drum her fingers on her legs more rapidly, not noticing as she was ever so slightly rocking back and forth in growing trepidation and anxiety. She took a deep breath and then shot her boyfriend a determined look.  
“Can you get us up there or not?”

Petyr checked his scroll to take notice of the time and sighed, nodding. “As long as you’re fine waiting up until around two in the morning. Then we’ll have a window.”

“Easy. How are we going to get up there?”

“Well…” Petyr frowned, before giving her a sigh. “I’ll think on that.”

Smiling back at him in a mixture of fondness and anxiety, she took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. “Okay then.”

It was then simply a matter of killing time waiting for it to be late enough for them to have their window, a decent chunk of the waiting time spent with Petyr bringing up a very basic layout of the inside of the gunships, to show her where she’d need to go once they were up there.  
The girl was uncharacteristically stone serious the entire time as she worked to memorise it as much as she could, biting her lip.  
The plan was relatively simple. At around two was a shift change, where the old shift took airjets down to the surface and the new shift would come up. If they managed to get to a terminal the moment that the airjet left, Petyr could tweak the schedule so that the new shift wouldn’t arrive for around a ten minute window at the  _ most _ .

It would be long enough for Petyr’s task to be done, his task would take less than two minutes once he got to  _ any  _ terminal, not even needing one on the bridge, but Chrystal’s would be more...troublesome.  
She had no idea of what she could possibly say to the Torchwick guy, but there had to be something.  
However the main roadblock in the plan was getting up to the gunship in the first place. While they weren’t exactly high enough to be in orbit, Petyr’s drone jetpack wouldn’t be able to get close without easily being noticed by any number of security systems, and even just visibility.  
The more they thought on the problem, the more a solution came to Chrystal’s mind that she  _ really  _ didn’t want to go with, but might have no other choice.

Eventually, with no other solutions, she scrunched up her entire face and grunted in preparation before vocalising her idea.

“I know someone who can get us up there without being seen.”

“Yeah? Who? How?” Petyr raised his eyebrows, a small slump of relief going through his shoulders at the problem possibly being solved, before it returned at the hesitant look that Chrystal had on her face. “...what is it?”

“My ex girlfriend…” Chrystal sighed, bracing, but quickly following it up to explain her reasoning. “She can teleport short to medium distances. Her maximum range has  _ probably  _ grown since I was last aware of it, so there’s a  _ chance  _ that if we get as high as possible without being noticed she can blink us the rest of the way…”

Not responding at first, Petyr seemed to be waiting for another boot to drop, before he frowned in confusion. “...so what’s the problem?”

“...that it’s my ex?” Chrystal frowned apprehensively, before raising an eyebrow as Petyr didn’t react in any particular way.

“So?...is she a bad person? Like is it for  _ your  _ sake you don’t want to ask her?”

“No, of course not. She’s great. I just don’t want to make  _ you  _ uncomfortable.” Chrystal sat back slowly, completely befuddled at the equally befuddled look in Petyr’s eyes.

“Why would I be uncomfortable?”

“Because she’s…” Chrystal trailed off as she blinked, pausing as her brain took in the fact that Petyr wasn’t even slightly bothered by the idea and was apparently deeply confused as to  _ how  _ he  _ could  _ be bothered by it.

She let out a slow breath and raised her eyebrows slightly higher. “You’re...genuinely not bullshitting, are you.”

“Bullshitting what? I am...so unbelievably confused.” Petyr coughed, his eyes taking on a helpless shine that Chrystal often found absolutely adorable whenever he was trying to understand something out of his grasp.

“...I have no idea how to explain the concept of Being Jealous Of Someone’s Ex to someone for the first time, what the fuck is even...okay. That’s for later.” Chrystal forced herself to wave it off, smiling apologetically at Petyr when he gave a stressed whine of confusion, before grabbing her scroll from her pocket and sending a quick text to Cypher asking the girl to meet them on the roof.

Putting her scroll down, she tapped her finger on it a few times and looked down at it. “We probably have about twenty minutes before she’ll be here, even if she’s free…”

“Fair enough.” Petyr nodded, seeming to have dismissed the incredibly and almost painfully confusing topic that had  _ really  _ started to stress him out, but just as he opened his mouth to say something else he found himself tackled by his girlfriend.

Pressing her lips to his in a kiss that could only be described as adoring, she didn’t hesitate for a moment to swing her leg over his lap and run her hands into his hair, shivering in almost a purr of satisfaction when he reciprocated and began to kiss back, at first timidly but quickly rivalling her level of intensity.  
She pulled back for a few moments, keeping her hands in his hair, and she smiled at the rather glassy look in his eyes and the fact she’d fogged up his glasses a bit.

“...thank you, Petyr.”

“For helping you?...” Petyr smiled, tilting his head, and then blinking in a new spark of confusion when her entire face softened and she replied.

“In ways you don’t even know.”

Not giving him time to question it, she pressed herself to him again and recaptured his lips, and whined in encouragement for him to grab her back, quickly remembering to reach up and remove his glasses for him so she wouldn’t fog them up, before she froze as his hands bravely slid from her hips to the small of her back just above the waistband of her jeans, and his fingers traced the soft skin that was bare under the hem of her shirt.  
As his fingers lightly slid along the exposed skin, she shivered into the touch, and the moment he seemed to realise what he’d done and went to retract his fingers she curved herself against him and nipped his bottom lip lightly in encouragement, which was all he needed to keep his hands where they were and continue to stroking the skin there.  
She didn’t push for more, no matter how badly she wanted to, and instead revelled in the fact that she got to have this boy for two more months and so she had all that time for more than this. There was barely any time left before the first rounds of the tournament, and while she’d be spending a lot of time training she was going to be filling as much of her time as she could with making Petyr forget his name.

But they both clearly forgot how to keep track of time, as they both snapped out of it when someone very close nearby clapped their hands very loudly, and Chrystal immediately froze mid-kiss before squeezing her eyes shut in regret and self-consciousness, sitting back slowly and looking over at where Cypher was standing with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, looking decidedly unimpressed with the situation.  
Giving her ex a weak and embarrassed smile, Chrystal quickly slid from Petyr’s lap and stood, brushing herself off, and Petyr shook his head quickly to come back to himself before standing as well, giving a shy wave to Cypher and appraising her. The girl was his height, making her slightly taller than Chrystal, and was all lean dancers muscles. A light tan, vibrant pink hair and bright green eyes, her face was almost...pixieish, if Petyr had to describe it.

He couldn’t deny it, his girlfriend had excellent taste.

“Hey...Cypher right? From Team CULD?”

Seeming to appraise Petyr for a moment, quickly flicking her gaze up and down before staring into his eyes with intense scrutiny for a few moments, Cypher nodded slowly and sternly in confirmation, before her composure finally broke and she had to look away to erupt into silent giggles, putting a hand over her mouth despite the fact they were completely soundless. The giggling quickly evolved into laughter when she looked back and Chrystal was staring at her with a horrified expression and a viciously deep blush, the girl looking between her ex and her boyfriend with no idea what to even say, meanwhile Petyr was calm except for being a bit confused as to what exactly was going on.  
When Cypher eventually got ahold of herself and calmed down, but a smirk still on her face, she gave Petyr a wide and friendly smile and offered her hand for him to shake, and he took it willingly, meanwhile Chrystal was only just managing to get control of her uncharacteristic embarrassment.

“It’s good to meet you finally, Chrystal’s mentioned you a few times, thank you for making her as happy as you did. And I’m glad you got out of the caves okay.” Petyr smiled and said without any hesitation in the world, causing Cypher to go slightly still and blink in surprise, before she looked at Chrystal with a genuinely perturbed expression.

Chrystal nodded slowly. “No, no, he’s genuinely just like this. He’s serious.”

Blinking again, Cypher let out a bewildered breath with wide eyes, inflating her cheeks as she let it out and squared her shoulders, before looking back at him and nodding, giving a casual salute of acknowledgement, and winking at Chrystal with a smirk.

“...I regret this but for none of the reasons I thought I would…” Chrystal muttered, running her hand over her face before clapping her hands together. “ **_Okay._ ** So, Cypher dear, I need a favour. A very, very illegal favour.”

At that, Cypher raised her eyebrows and tilted her head in curiosity, before gesturing to Chrystal to go on.  
Chrystal nodded, letting out a breath, strangely anxious about the only two people she’d ever had genuinely butterfly-esque feelings about being right next to each other near her.  
“So, Petyr and I want to investigate what happened today. The big-ass hole in the street. We want to know why my team’s report wasn’t followed up on, and I want to...well...ask that Torchwick guy a few questions.”

Blinking once as she thought over what she had just heard, Cypher pointedly looked up at the three gunships and raised her eyebrows, before flicking her eyes back to Chrystal with a question in them.

Chrystal nodded apprehensively, crossing her arms. “If we can get halfway up, will we be in range for you to blink us the rest of the way up? We have to get up there without setting off any of the ship’s sensors.”

Frowning in thought, Cypher narrowed her eyes as she looked at the gunships and tried to calculate their distance from the ground, wincing as she gave an unsure nod and shrug, shaking her hand in the universal gesture for ‘Maybe?’.

“Has your range extended since the last time I was there when you measured it?” Chrystal asked, before rolling her eyes when Cypher gave an exaggerated nod and smug smile. “Okay, that’s good. Well...can you please help us  _ try _ ?”

After asking, Chrystal was content to wait quietly as Cypher silently thought over it, the mute girl frowning in a myriad of concerns as she looked up at the gunships. While she was often just as willing to break the law and violate social convention as Chrystal was, this was trespassing and espionage she was being asked to do.  
But civilians had died today, and Cypher had been using her Semblance to get some of the wounded huntsmen out of danger throughout the battle and had seen the toll it had taken on some of them. She also couldn’t help the feeling of guilt about how she hadn’t had the aura reserves left to blink and catch Kylar, having barely enough dregs of it left to keep it intact and protecting her at all.

So she nodded, a slight frown on her face as she looked back at the other two, before making the gesture of tapping her wrist to ask for when.

“Around two in the morning, we have a window then.” Petyr answered.

Rolling her eyes in overdramatic frustration at the late hour, Cypher closed her eyes and nodded in understanding, before opening her eyes and nodding with more determination.

Chrystal gave a grateful smile, a soft one, and nodded. “...thank you. If something’s going on, we want to figure it out.”

“Especially if the military is mixed up in it somehow.” Petyr added, crossing his arms and frowning, looking down at the roof for a moment before looking back up, the frown fading mostly after only a few seconds.

Nodding in silent agreement, Cypher pulled out her scroll to check the time and saw there were four hours left until it was time for them to leave, and she looked down at her not even slightly stealthy white clothing, resigning herself to needing to change out of her favourite colour.  
Tapping the time on her scroll pointedly, she nodded and gave the other two a wave, before smirking and gesturing between the two of them. 

‘ _ As you were.’ _

While Petyr blushed and looked down, Chrystal smiled one last time in thankful understanding, crossing her arms. “...thank you. For helping. And for being...cool, with it.”

Pausing just as she had been about to blink away, Cypher frowned before giving an affectionate and reassuring look, pointedly looking to Petyr then back to Chrystal and giving her a smile.

Giving a happy smile to Chrystal, happy  _ for  _ her, Cypher gave a small playful wave as she blinked away.

Both of them looking at the spot that Cypher had disappeared from for a moment, Petyr looked over at Chrystal. “I like her. I can see how you two made each other happy.”

“You…” Chrystal looked over at him with a wide-eyed frown, exasperation in her eyes as she practically whined out what she was saying. “are the most  _ incomprehensible  _ man I have ever met.”

“...what did I do this time?” Petyr blinked, a small spark of anxiety in his eyes that had Chrystal melting and placing her hand on his cheek reassuringly.

“It’s…” She let out a stressed breath, looking away and slipping into a train of thought that threatened to be painful and self-destructive if she lingered on it for too long. “...just...thank you. For being...you.”

“...well I’d certainly hope I’m good at that after eighteen years.” Petyr gave her a confused but cheeky grin, and got an eyeroll in response before Chrystal leaned in and kissed him softly for a few moments.

Tapping him on the chest, she pulled back and sighed. “Okay, we both have preparations to do before tonight. We meet at the communications tower, right? I’ll text Cypher.”

“It’s a plan. Alright. Let’s get to it.”

Giving each other one last smile and kiss, Petyr quickly bundled up the blanket under his arm before they each made their way off the roof and back to their dorms to pass the next few hours and get ready.  
The streets of Beacon were empty at half past one in the morning, so it was almost a certainty that no-one had noticed the three of them as they stood together in a small side-street near the communications tower, Cypher and Chrystal being remarkably relaxed while Petyr finished the calibrations of the harness and pack that made up his gear.

Waiting for the right moment as an outside guard patrol passed by and then around the corner, giving them over a minute before the next round, Cypher grabbed the other two and blinked them to the front door of the tower, where Petyr placed a single finger on the touchpad and ‘asked’ the door to unlock, Cypher raising her eyebrows impressed when it beeped and let them in, Petyr grinning in satisfaction as they slipped inside.  
While the tower wasn’t normally totally locked up of a night time, ever since the incursion the night of the dance security had been ramped up, making it more of a pain than normal to get up to the top floor.

But all it took was Petyr asking the right systems for help and telling others to do certain things, before they had easily taken the elevator up without needing to scan an ID, the security system scrubbed the footage of their time inside _and_ scrubbed the logs of the different locks being opened and closed, meaning they barely had to slow down before they stepped out onto the roof of the tower, high above the streets below.

With Chrystal’s experience at climbing, Cypher’s Semblance making falling redundant, and the fact one of Petyr’s calibrations with his drones was his wings, none of them were afraid of the heights, but they  _ did  _ have to actively work not to be distracted by the view.

Tapping the pad on his wrist to activate his drones, he activated his wings before having a drone attach to each arm so he could take a tight grip of the two girls, and after they all gave each other a nod they lifted off as silently as they could.

Only a handful of seconds of flying straight up into the air later, Cypher reached out and put a hand on each of them, and the three of them vanished into nothingness without a sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look. Plot.


	10. Compromised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving on the gunship, there's no way of getting what they want without giving something up, and Chrystal arrives already willing to make a deal with the devil. But after bargaining, comes acceptance.

The deck of the gunship was almost completely dark, none of the spotlights, the absence of any pressing danger meaning that most systems of the ship were either dormant or offline entirely, only being activated when it was all-hands on deck.  
Up so high in the air, Chrystal felt the deep chill go through her jacket and when she exhaled she watched the mist.  
Glancing at the two people with her, she saw as Petyr looked entirely focused as he scanned the ship around them, while Cypher looked anxious and jittery, bouncing slightly on her feet with wide and excited eyes.

Petyr nodded, and pointed towards one of the doors leading into the interior of the ship, flicking his eyes to the others. “I don’t need a bridge terminal, there’s normally one in the service bay, and that should be good enough. From there I can get into the systems we need to poke around in, _including_ getting you into the brig if you’re still so determined about that.”

When he gave her a serious questioning look, Chrystal hesitated for a moment before she nodded, clenching her fists at her sides. “If anyone knows who intercepted the report, who’s behind...any of this...it has to be him.”

“You really think you can get answers out of him when even _General_ _Ironwood_ hasn’t seemed to manage it?” Petyr asked in a stressed voice, but already starting to make his way towards the service door, the drone on his back retracting the wings and returning to the pack. “And even if he says anything, it’ll almost certainly be a lie.”

“...probably. But I have to try.” Chrystal sighed, following and making sure to glance around warily. Behind her, Cypher nodded, but seemed a bit unsure and anxious.

Petyr didn’t seem to be worried about security cameras, and didn’t hesitate to place his hands on the entrance pad to the door and ask it to open, nodding in satisfaction when it did, and leading the way inside.  
The interior hallways of the ship were bright, and when Chrystal heard the sound of robotic movement she froze and widened her eyes, grabbing Petyr’s arm.  
Pausing when he heard it as well, he let out a slow and frustrated breath, closing his eyes in annoyance at his slip.  
“Makes sense that there would be Knights deployed as security on the gunships now, with the alert level up another notch. That makes things harder…”

Remaining silent and still as he looked up and down the corridor they had entered into, he muttered to himself as he clearly looked over the layout of the ship he had memorised, and the two girls watched him patiently as he clearly came up with a plan.  
Waiting, Cypher glanced over to Chrystal and tilted her head with widened eyes in concern, gesturing with her hands helplessly. In response, Chrystal merely let out a stressed breath and shook her head in resignation, before perking up when Petyr gave a nod.

“The internal service bay is two levels down from here, but weapon maintenance is a few corridors from here. But it’s almost certainly guarded.”

“And I’m willing to bet we’re banned from destroying the Knights?” Chrystal smirked, giving Petyr a playful look and getting a stressed eyebrow-raise in response.

Waving him off with a wink, she gestured for him to lead the way. Mumbling to himself again, he tapped the pad on his wrist to bring out one of his drones, and he glanced up at it as he was clearly talking to it through his wristpad. Buzzing in response, the drone shimmered for a moment as some sort of system activated, and it seemed to slowly become invisible.  
Cypher blinked and raised her eyebrows, tapping Petyr on the shoulder and gesturing in surprise and confusion, and he smirked in response, a rare expression from him which Chrystal couldn’t help but find...pretty sexy. Confidence suited him. But she also silently asked him the question, and he shrugged it off.

“Reflector pads. Like a chameleon. Only one drone has them because they are _disgustingly_ expensive and hard to make. Now, I’m about to no longer be able to see out of my own eyes, so you’ll have to guide me as I walk. But I can scout ahead. Let’s go, we need a terminal and fast.”

The two girls glanced at each other with confused but determined looks, and Chrystal took Petyr’s arm in her hand to guide him as he placed his fingers on the pad and closed his eyes, tuning into the drones camera.  
Following behind them, Cypher couldn’t resist the urge to draw her chakrams from her belt and spin them in her hands just in case, finding it comforting to spin them back and forth in her grip, glancing around constantly as they went corridor to corridor, often ducking into storerooms and behind corners to wait for Knights to pass on their patrols.

When they eventually reached the corridor with the weapons bay, Petyr took his fingers off the pad and sighed, shaking his head. “Two Knights on guard. I’m not surprised. And they’re not going anywhere.”

“This is the easiest terminal to get too?” Chrystal asked in a whisper, peeking around the corner and shooting death glares at the two robots she saw, sighing in frustration when Petyr nodded in resignation, with a look that was almost surrender. But Cypher looked...contemplative, a frown on her face as she poked her head around the corner as well and took in the robots, and then glanced at Petyr. Without asking or pausing she took Petyr’s wrists in her hands and had him spread his arms, glancing back and forth as if measuring how long his reach was on either side.  
Petyr blinked in confusion, but went along with it, still shooting a perturbed look to Chrystal who simply shrugged in amusement, making sure to keep an eye out as Cypher narrowed her eyes in thought, before tapping on Chrystal’s shoulder and starting to sign.

_‘If I blink him right between them, can he touch them both at the same instant and control them to get us past?’_

Pausing as she thought over it before responding, Chrystal made a thoughtful hum in her throat and looked to Petyr. “She wants to know if it’d be possible for you to shut them down or get us past if she teleported you between them and you touched them at the same instant.”

Finally lowering his arms and glancing between the two girls, Petyr didn’t hesitate to give a nod and a small smile. Without hesitation, Cypher took his wrists again and put them stretched outwards, before showing her fingers that she was going to give a three second countdown, and then put her hands on his waist, closing her eyes in the strain it took to carry another person, or multiple people, with her.  
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly in preparation, Petyr nodded, and counted down.

The moment he reached zero, Cypher pushed them both through the space between where they were standing, and where they needed to be, her Semblance simply deciding that was where they actually were, instead of being where they were actually standing.  
Appearing in place, Petyr immediately put his hands on each Knight’s shoulder before they could react to a new presence near them, and their heads dipped as they went into standby mode.

Nodding, Cypher took her hands from his waist and snapped her fingers, causing Chrystal to peer around the corner before quickly making her way over and giving both of them a proud smile. “Well hey, teamwork. Look at us go.”

Smiling widely in innocent agreement, Petyr simply tapped the keypad and the door opened, leading the three of them into the empty room, the lights flickering on as they entered and the door slid closed behind them.

“Alright, stand watch if you can, but this shouldn’t take too long.”

He nodded to the two girls before making his way over to a large terminal that was against one of the walls, retrieving a large scroll from his pack as he walked and holding it in one hand as he took a few deep breaths before placing his free hand on the console.

_‘Uhh, hi! We need your help.’_

_‘Acknowledged, hello Petyr Fevera, what can we help you with?’_

_‘A few things. First, wipe the security footage of our presence in the ship and replace them with loops, as perfectly timed as you can please. We’re going to be inside for another fifteen minutes, round about, so please hide us.’_

_‘Hmm...a suspicious request. Do you have ill intent? I cannot assist you in harming those aboard me.’_

_‘No! No no, no ill intent. Just...we think something is wrong and we’re checking it out.’_

_‘What seems to be the problem?’_

Petyr sighed anxiously as he bit the inside of his cheek, thinking of how to word it, eventually nodding determinedly.  
 _‘A report was filed within a fortnight ago that reported the presence of Grimm and their approximate location, am I still right in there being an efficiency protocol in place about the automatic allocation of Knight logistics and then mission outline generation?’_

_‘Of course, it’s a system that’s always worked well, no failures or complications so far. Why do you doubt it?’_

_‘The report that was filed, we need to know who denied the confirmation at a terminal. It resulted in casualties.’_

_‘That is truly abhorrent and violates a key directive. Let us resolve this. Report code?’_

_‘Mission ID is 240490. Please ID who denied the verification, and allow me to transfer the security footage of it onto my personal scroll for my own perusal. Please?’_

_‘One moment. Scanning security archives.’_

As Petyr seemed to be standing silently with his hand on the console, occasionally sighing and humming in thought, Cypher’s eyebrows rose higher and higher and she eventually glanced over to Chrystal with an incredibly bewildered expression.

Noticing it, Chrystal merely shrugged.

“Some Semblances are weird. You can literally teleport, I can dodge bullets, and Nikos can control magnetism. I just roll with it these days.”

Silently snorting, Cypher shrugged in acknowledgement and gave a smile, flicking her eyes to Petyr and then back to Chrystal, raising her eyebrows in approval and causing the other girl to blush slightly and scowl.

“Shut up… He’s...nice.” Chrystal shook her head in amusement and looked back to the door to keep an eye on it, but still seeing it when Cypher gave another smile, the mute girl grabbing her shoulder and squeezing it.

“...what about you?” Chrystal asked a handful of moments later, glancing next to her again and seeing as Cypher gave a happy and reassuring nod, making the a-okay gesture with her fingers. She smiled. “I hope so.”

Cypher squeezed her shoulder again in reassurance, before taking her chakram into her hand again, spinning both in her hands out of habit.  
Both of them turned to Petyr when they heard him take his hand from the console and look down at his scroll, swiping through security footage of the moment the mission confirmation was denied. Chrystal made her way over to look at the scroll as well, while Cypher frowned in curiosity but continued to watch the door.

As Chrystal looked down, Petyr tapped his scroll to start the footage from the beginning. The time on the footage was late at night, around the same time of night it currently was for them. The bridge was almost entirely empty, barely a handful of crew on it. The skeleton crew of a night time.  
A few moments into it, a woman confidently strode into the room and bent over at one of the terminals to tap on it. Petyr tapped his scroll to bring up a side window of the verification code the woman entered, and paused the footage to zoom in on the woman’s face.

“Here’s where it gets interesting.” He muttered, looking over at Chrystal before resuming the footage, the ship having compiled it to watch as the woman made her way back out of the bridge and walked through the rest of the ship back out to the transfer bay. But it showed as she ducked into a storeroom, and a totally different woman emerged a handful of moments later, having shifted from an officer to general infantry.

“...oh.” Chrystal let out a breath, taking the scroll into her hands and watching the moment over and over again, scrolling back to the footage in the bridge. “...we’re dealing with a Huntsman. Or at the very least someone with an unlocked Aura. Fuck.”

“She simply hopped onto the next transfer ship with everyone else and went back down to the ground, less than five minutes later. She timed it _perfectly._ ” Petyr shook his head, fast forwarding to the moment the woman hopped onto the ship.

Watching it, Chrystal grabbed her own scroll from her pocket and tapped it to his, transferring the footage onto her own device and pocketing it again without taking her eyes off the footage in front of her. “She knew about the report, or at the very least that there would _be_ one. And she had an officer’s code. Who the fuck are these people we’re dealing with?”

“I…” Petyr shook his head again and went silent, swallowing in anxiety.

Eventually Cypher gave into curiosity and skipped her way over to watch the footage herself, Chrystal showing her all the important moments. The mute girl gave a curious frown, watching the moment the other girl seemed to change her appearance over and over again. The look on Cypher’s face was indecipherable, and when Chrystal almost went to ask about it she was waved off.  
Straightening with the same guarded but perturbed look on her face, Cypher let out a breath and nodded, looking to the others with a questioning look.

Chrystal shrugged and gave a determined look to Petyr. “Time to get me to the cells.”

“...if you’re sure…” Petyr sighed at the nod Chrystal gave him, and he tapped his scroll a few times in anxiety. “The ship has agreed to wipe us from the cameras and move the Knights from the prison wing for twenty minutes. So we have to hurry.”

+=+=+

With the ship ignoring their presence, the lights in the jail wing didn’t turn on at their presence, the sensors refusing to acknowledge that they were there yet the doors still opened at Petyr’s touch. Entering the massive room, Petyr looked down at his scroll and muttered as he counted the closed cells until he found the right one, and the three of them stopped outside of it.

Pausing, the three of them looked at each other, Petyr raising his eyebrows. “I hope you two know what you’re doing.”

“...let’s find out. Stay out of sight, you’re Atlas, he could snitch that you were here and you’d be screwed.” Chrystal sighed, putting her hand on his cheek.

Nodding in agreement, he quickly kissed her and then made his way back to the door to keep an eye on it, dispatching his drones to keep an eye on every entrance into the room and closing his eyes to see through their eyes instead of his own.  
Looking up at one of the drones above her, Chrystal took a deep and slow breath to calm her nerves before giving a nod, and a moment later the top half of the cell door opened.

“Well then, a bit late for guests. I was having the most wonderful dream…” The man inside gave an exaggerated yawn as the dim cell light flicked on, and he sat up, glancing out at whoever wanted to speak to him before his eyebrows raised in surprise and a massive amused grin broke out on his face. “And what’s this? Two pretty girls to do the General’s work for him? Interesting tactic, I imagine it works on some men. Probably works quite well.”

Chrystal gave a dry smile and stepped closer so he could get a good look at her, crossing her hands behind her back and making sure to continue taking deep breaths to hold off the anxiety she felt in her chest. “You’re Torchwick, right? Roman Torchwick?”

“Hello there. And you…” Roman leaned forward to get a good look at her, before his eyebrows raised and another grin broke out on his face. “Well well! The Butterfly of Beacon. I was yet to have the pleasure, but to get up onto the ships without permission means you're certainly deserving of your reputation...”

Sucking in a breath in fear as she was recognised, him calling her by the playful nickname that some of the bars called her, along with Junior and his boys, she swallowed it as best as she could and simply raised an eyebrow. "We need something from you."

“We…?” Roman raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, before his eyes widened when Cypher stepped forward and he took her in. “Oh...oh my. That’s…”  
He gave a laugh and folded his hands together on his lap. “Why hello there. You...look so very similar to a friend of mine. I _always_ wondered if she...never mind. One of my compatriots told me you were a looker but to see you in the flesh...Cypher, right?”

At the guess, Cypher blinked and Chrystal’s right hand clenched into a fist briefly, and Torchwick clearly saw both reactions, because a wider grin broke out onto his face. “You’re both taking quite the risk to be here, aren’t you? Shaking like leaves in the breeze, so it must be important. What can I do for you?”

Glancing at each other, Chrystal and Cypher gave each other as reassuring a look as they could while both being terrified, and Chrystal grabbed her scroll from her pocket and opened up the footage they had copied from the ship’s security system.  
Holding it up so Torchwick could lean forward and see, she paused it on the best shot possible of the woman who denied the request.

“The only reason we went through all this effort to get up here, is because I want to know who she is. Who it was that fucked up my team’s work and made sure people got killed the other day. Who is she?” Chrystal asked as firmly as possible, almost wincing as she strained to keep her hand from shaking.

Watching the footage and leaning forward to get a good look at her, Roman raised his eyebrows and gave a shrug. “No idea. Never seen her before in my life.”

“Come on, Roman.” Chrystal tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “We know there are people all over the city causing trouble and fucking things up. She’s a Huntsman, she clearly has an _aura_ since she also has an _awakened Semblance_. That’s not a small fish. And you’re a big fish. So...give us a hand?”

“Why should I?” Roman sat back and placed his hands on his knees, giving a mischievous smile. “What’s in it for me? Why should I help? You’re not Ironwood’s toys, you’re both Beacon, so that makes you both more...reasonable.”

Pausing for a moment as she took in what he said, Chrystal resisted the urge to close her eyes in thought as she found herself contemplating potentially doing something unbelievably stupid. But if they got the identity of the girl who was responsible for ruining all the effort she and her team had gone to, and had gotten people killed in the process, then it might be worth it.  
She knew that, deep down, she wasn’t like the other three. Shina wanted to be the best version of himself, wanted to change, wanted to...be nothing like his father. Shina had a code he stuck to, but it was just a hard code to figure out or get to the edge of. Meanwhile the other two were as good natured and good inclined as Chrystal had ever seen, though she didn’t know the other two as well as she would like. But, there was time.

Meanwhile she wasn’t sure about herself. Never had been.

She liked stealing, she liked fighting. She got scolded by the others repeatedly for it, told off like she was a child. But that didn’t change anything.

And she was also a gambler.

Right now, she wanted an answer. She _needed_ to know. If she did, they could get a step closer to solving whatever shit was going on.  
Nodding slowly and biting her bottom lip, she sighed, getting a surprised and worried look from Cypher next to her with the girl grabbing her shoulder in concern as Chrystal took a step forward.

“What is it you might want?”

Torchwick sat back in surprise, his eyebrows going up as a pleased and incredibly curious smile came across his face. “Well well, finally some consideration. Well little butterfly, let’s make a deal. I’ll tell you the name of that _particular_ alias she uses, and...you wipe her existence from the footage and clear that she has ever been here.”

Frowning and narrowing her eyes, Chrystal mulled over it. Honestly it wasn’t an illogical deal, he wouldn’t exactly be able to lie about her alias since Petyr would need it to wipe the woman’s existence from the ship’s records. And in exchange she simply wipe the girl from the records, which would stop Atlas from eventually having a poke and _fucking things up again_ , giving her and her friends have something to go on.  
She sighed internally and winced. It would make her _quite_ the criminal, and a hypocrite, and she’d owe Shina the apology of the century. But it was a clue, it was _something_ , and she was just so...angry...that the breach had happened at all.

The woman was someone to ultimately blame for what happened to Kylar.

And that was enough for her.

So she nodded.

“I can do that.”

Next to her, Cypher’s eyes widened and her eyebrows rose, but she didn’t move other than that or make any gesture of objection, instead merely keeping a close eye on Chrystal’s face. Above her, Petyr’s drone buzzed quietly to let them know he had heard and definitely had his own opinions, but Chrystal kept her eyes on Roman.  
The man’s eyebrows went even higher and a smirk appeared in the right corner of his mouth, tapping his fingers together on his lap.

“You...are a curious one, little butterfly. I can see it in your eyes. You don’t want to know who the big bosses are, you just want one of the pawns because it’s personal. I can _respect_ that. That gets things done...”

“You going to give me the name or not?” Chrystal asked with as confident and stern a voice as possible, but she also had to swallow and clench her fists, sliding her scroll back into her pocket as she let out a shaky breath, Roman smirking even wider when he caught it.

“That name? Lieutenant Eris Impa. No idea what ID Code she bought though. Now do your part? Pretty please, honey?”

Remembering the name, Chrystal glanced up at the drone and gave a firm nod. After a moment, the drone buzzed unsure, and she narrowed her eyes and gave an even firmer and stronger nod.  
Almost a minute passed, then her scroll blipped with a message.

_“Done. I hope you know what you’re doing.”_

Showing it to Roman, he gave a wide smile and a grateful nod, sitting back and now casually putting his hands behind his head. “Thank you. I appreciate that, and I’m sure she will too when I let her know.”

“You’re certainly confident about getting that chance.”

“I am. And doesn’t that make you just a little bit nervous?” He chuckled, raising an eyebrow accusingly and tilting his head.

With no reply, and no denial she’d be able to successfully sell, Chrystal let out another breath and bit her bottom lip, Cypher squeezing her arm again and stepping closer when she noticed Chrystal’s breath speeding up a bit.

“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Roman chuckled, smiling in fake fondness before chuckling and waving goodbye. “Alright kids, I think it’s time you scattered before getting caught. Don’t worry, I won’t tattle, I know if I do you’ll just tell them about what you know. So. Thief’s Honour.”

“...Thief’s Honour.” Chrystal replied with a surprisingly confident smile, holding eye contact as the cell light dimmed and the window slid closed and locked.

The moment it did, she slumped entirely and her eyes closed, Cypher practically having to catch her as she finally allowed the anxiety to rush through her system and she almost heaved to throw up, but caught herself at the last moment and coughed instead.  
Petyr rushed his way over and put his hand on her back, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and rubbing his hand soothingly.

Smiling at them both weakly, Chrystal straightened up and shook her hands to get rid of the anxious tension that had been going through them. “Okay, done. Let’s get out of here.”

“Are you sure that was a good idea?” Petyr asked hesitantly, frowning in doubt and, in no small degree, fear. “Chrystal, that was a deal with the devil.”

“I know. But we got what we needed, and we know it’s the right name. It’s something to go on. It’s _something_.” She nodded, still swallowing and trying to get rid of her dry throat.

Slowly leading the other two towards the door to get outside, Chrystal noticed that her hands were clenching again and she put them into the pockets of her jacket. Petyr got them outside easily enough, and as they walked over to the edge of the ship in preparation to jump off and get down, Petyr already attaching the wings to his back, Chrystal paused as she looked down at the city and academy far below them.

“...I can’t believe I just did that.” She muttered quietly to herself, biting her bottom lip and shaking her head at herself, but still looking down below. “...what did I just do…”

Petyr didn’t have an answer, but he trusted her, and trusted her judgement even the times it was in the moment and...morally questionable. It wasn’t like he was new to helping the people he cared about make questionable decisions. Kirian did questionable and often illegal things rather regularly and asked him for assistance.

This felt like a different level entirely. In fact, he wasn’t sure how he felt about it at all. It was something to think over when he had the chance later. But he trusted her.

Meanwhile Cyper was only concerned for Chrystal. She didn’t care much about the deal itself. Getting results sometimes required compromise, and she wanted to get to the bottom of this as much as Chrystal did, since it was _her team_ that had almost died in the caves ultimately for nothing. But Chrystal was shaken.

So all she could do was stand behind her shoulder quietly, letting her put herself back together before they dropped back down.

After a few minutes, Chrystal glanced behind herself at them and gave a nod, the three of them simply stepping off the ship and starting to drop, Cypher grabbing them both and blinking them as low as possible so they could simply implement their normal landing strategies and slide onto the rooftop of one of the many small shops nearby the academy itself.  
They made their way back quietly, Cypher willing to blink them around to avoid the campus security which had been increased since the events of the dance. Eventually Petyr had to depart first as they passed his dorm, and he and Chrystal shared a soft and reassuring goodnight kiss, resting their foreheads against each other as he tried his best to reassure her about what she’d done.

He trusted her. But he knew she didn’t trust herself.

So he tried to do all he could in a simple kiss, and if she shaking in her hands stopping was any indication then it had clearly helped at least a little.

Smiling affectionately, he quietly ducked inside of the dorm his team had been given during their time at the academy, leaving just Chrystal and Cypher in the hallway to continue to make their way, their dorms relatively close to each other.

While Cypher had gone back to her normal demeanour; hands behind her back, shimmering eyes, and a small smile on her face, Chrystal looked downtrodden as she walked with her hands in her pockets and staring down at the ground, biting her lip.  
Making their way through the hallways, Cypher eventually reached out and rubbed Chrystal’s back reassuringly, causing the other girl to look up and give a grateful but heavy smile with anxious eyes. Sighing silently, they stopped when they reached Cypher’s dorm room, and she gently took Chrystal’s hand and gave it a reassuring and calm squeeze.  
Squeezing back, Chrystal whispered.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to help. I’m...sorry that I needed your help and you got caught up in all this now.”

Smiling, Cypher shook her head calmly and squeezed again, giving a shrug as she turned and unlocked her dorm door and opening it, stepping inside and giving Chrystal a goodnight wave. As she turned and looked around at her sleeping teammates, she frowned when she saw that Delilah’s bed was empty.

Meanwhile Chrystal let out a deep breath and quickly made her way back to her own dorm, opening the door as quietly as she could and slipped inside, closing it behind her with as quiet a click as possible but wincing when Tacita stirred anyway, the sound barely audible to others likely being loud to her even though she was asleep.  
Making her way over and sitting on the edge of her bed, Chrystal slowly undressed piece by piece, closing her eyes and trying her best to take deep breaths, but even as she flopped down onto her bed properly she knew that it would be almost impossible to get any sleep, no matter how hard she might try.

She was right, as she stared up at the roof until she noticed sunlight peeking in through the windows.

_‘What did I just do…’_

+=+=+

It wasn’t hard for the others to notice that something was wrong with Chrystal the next day. The girl who normally ate twice as much as the others skipped breakfast, and she barely spoke a word. During class she didn’t sit on her phone, instead staring off into nothing while spinning her pen through her fingers in the same intricate tricks her reflexes let her do.  
Whenever Shina or Tacita tried to speak to her, her answers were short but still polite, and she gave the occasional small smile as if she was trying to reassure them.

Even at lunch she barely ate, instead staring out into nothingness and not even pretending that she would eat, leaving her plate bare. No matter who tried to get anything out of her, it was the same polite short answers and then back to her own thoughts. While Shina only had eyes for Chrystal herself, Tacita noticed that when Petyr sat next to her she did shuffle slightly closer, and the normally inquisitive boy didn’t seem surprised or perturbed by his girlfriend’s subdued mood, simply kissing the top of her head softly and letting her have her thoughts.

But he didn’t know her like Shina did, and he’d seen that look in her eyes plenty of times before. And it had something in his stomach clenching.

By now they’d figured out that it was impossible to get anything out of Chrystal when something was bothering her, even for Shina, so they were forced to leave her be, only able to give her concerned looks and slight attempts to drag her into conversation. With Kylar still unconscious, there wasn’t any full-group training they could do, but Shina was beyond surprised when Chrystal softly rejected the offer for a spar and instead decided to train alone, practically punishing one of the unarmed training dummies with the same detached and subdued look on her face.  
Even when Shina and Tacita had finished their own post-class training, she continued, citing a need to improve her offensive technique and wanting to try against the targets and dummies first, her fingers and hands wrapped in protective bandages to stop her bursting her knuckles from punches, despite the fact her aura would heal them. So they left her alone, and one by one other students made their way out of the gym as the hours passed, eventually dinner went by and still she stayed, beating on the same dummy until the bandages weren’t enough and red spots were visible on her knuckles from the damaged skin underneath.

While she hadn’t done anything particularly awful, the more she thought over what she’d done the previous night she felt nauseous from her mouth down to her gut, even her eyes felt weirdly gross. A desire for justified revenge had led to a deal with the devil that protected the person she wanted to find, hiding them from the law so she could take matters into her own hands.

_‘Why do I think that was worth it?’_

Pausing in her punching, she rested her head against the dummy briefly before straightening and running her fingers through her hair, closing her eyes for only a few moments before looking up at the brightly lit ceiling. As her thoughts wandered down dark roads, her heart rate began to speed up, and without realising she began to clench her fists harder and harder. Taking fast breaths she immediately closed her eyes again, but that only served to make things worse.  
She tried the technique of breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, but a few breaths in she picked up the smell of smoke and froze, her heart practically stopping for several moments until her chest hurt and it forcibly picked back up, hammering inside of her as she shakily and anxiously took another breath.

Still the thick scent of smoke.

Opening her eyes, she gave a vicious snarl as she drove her fist into the dummy with her full strength, her aura flashing as the seams of the dummy burst and some of the padding split and revealed the stuffing within. Barely pausing, she did it again, alternating her fists harder and harder before switching to kicks. Eventually a crescent kick, her favourite, hit the dummy with enough strength that the gradually weakening support of it finally gave out and it cracked down onto the training room floor.

Panting heavily, she looked down at it, her eyes wide and unblinking as her aura shimmered around her body, her panic and emotions bringing it to the surface.

“What do I even _do_ now?” She asked the empty room, her voice coming out as a dry rasp, but she didn’t herself longer than a moment to feel any doubt before she drove her foot into the collapsed dummy and sent it flying across the gym, slamming into a heavy punching bag and clattering to the floor, the bag swinging slightly from the impact.

A second later, the training room door opened. Looking over at where it was half-open, she didn’t see anyone there, and she frowned while still trying to get her breathing under control.

“Who’s there?” Her voice was slightly stronger again, which she was thankful for.

With no answer, she made her way over and poked her head out, looking around the rest of the gym at the few people still scattered around, and she narrowed her eyes. Closing the door again, something still felt off, and it was enough to start to snap her out of her panicky fugue. Grabbing her gym towel and water bottle, she gradually made her way back to the changing room, opening her locker with a bit more aggression than necessary and grabbing her normal belongings.  
Showering quickly, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling in the back of her mind no matter how badly she tried, but the rest of her mindset overpowered it enough that she didn’t care. Slamming her locker closed once she was changed, she threw her bag over her shoulder and walked back to the dorm.

Barely pausing to give a word to Shina, with Tacita apparently checking on Kylar, she dropped her gym bag, quickly changed into an outfit of her ‘going out’ clothes, grabbed her weapon harness, jacket, and wallet, and gave a quick wave before leaving, deliberately closing the door gently behind her.

Thankfully, Shina didn’t follow.

Reaching mid evening, the sun almost finished in its descent, she made her way out of the school grounds and down into the city, thankful that the sun had gone down entirely by the time she reached the side of town she’d been aiming for.

A few sidestreets led her to the Hunt’s Revelry, where the bouncer didn’t even bother to check her before letting her in, all the bouncers already knew her by name by now. Though she did have to check her weapons at the door, which she glared about but relented, not wanting to piss off the management of the one club that served her favourite drinks and within her price range, and the music was decent too.  
Stepping inside, she immediately felt the music enter her skin, and she closed her eyes for a moment before unzipping her jacket and letting it be put away along with her weapons, a familiar smile with that particular bouncer having him smile back and pat her on the shoulder in greeting, putting her belongings in a storage locker in the makeshift cloakroom.

Making her way down the entrance steps, she looked around at the club to see how crowded it was, and raised her eyebrows at how busy it was. People had started flooding into the city to attend the Vytal Festival, particularly the tournament, so every club and bar was doing incredible business. But she still wasn’t quite used to it. It brought a smile to her face as she gave a wink to Junior at the bar, who had her favourite drink ready for her before she even reached him.

He gave her a fond smile and leant on the bar as she took her first sip, and raised his eyebrows at her. “Welcome back, Chrysalis. Haven’t seen you here in a fair few days now.”

“Busy times, Junior.” She sighed, closing her eyes in satisfaction as the alcohol went down her throat and burned deliciously. “But not good ones. Hence my anticipated return.”

“You do look a little down, those bags under your eyes are getting bigger, little lady. You all good?”

“You sure know how to charm a girl.” She gave him a small smirk, before sighing and sitting down onto one of the stools properly. “Just making questionable life decisions.”

“Who isn’t. Seems to be a growing hobby currently…” Junior trailed off as his eyes flicked to a few different people around his club, before having to briefly vanish to serve a couple that had come up.

Continuing to sip her drink, Chrystal tapped the fingers of her free hand on the counter, looking off in thought, but accidentally catching her reflection in the mirrored wall behind the bar. Staring at her own reflection for a few seconds, she had to resist the powerful impulse to throw her glass and shatter it, and instead settled for skulling the rest of her drink in one go and wincing as the alcohol smashed into her gut at once.  
Junior quickly swiped her empty glass from in front of her and began the process of refilling it, but she raised a hand.

“Please put another two shots into this one.”

“...sweetie, you know I’m not meant to.” He paused in his pouring and looked over with raised eyebrows, but the half-pleading half-glare she gave him had him shrug in compliance and do as she asked, sliding it to her and then raising his eyebrows when she immediately downed the entire thing.

“Fuck, you’re really in bad shape, aren’t you?”

Not answering, she slid the glass back to him for him to grab and refill, and she looked down at the shiny black surface of the counter, continuing to tap it with her fingertips. If she was honest with herself, she had no idea why she was there, but places like it were always where she ended up, even since she was fifteen and had the growth spurt that got her into places like it. Bouncers don’t check fake ID’s too hard if half their view is tantalising skin, so it had never been particularly hard, even back on Sanus.  
Glancing over her shoulder at the crowd on the dancefloor, she briefly considered joining them, before dismissing the thought until she had a few more drinks in her. Dancing made her happy, and right now she didn’t feel like being happy. In a strange way, the thought of being happy made her feel like it would be offensive, or disrespectful.

So instead she resigned to drinking in a near constant stream, and lamenting on her life decisions and also the decisions that life had made _for_ her.

She wasn’t sure how many drinks it was later when a familiar presence sat down on the stool next to her, but didn’t address her directly.

“You know the drill Junior, strawberry sunrise with no ice” 

Yang raised a playful eyebrow at the man, who rolled his eyes and poured her drink, refilling Chrystal’s while he was at it and adding more shots to this one without Chrystal needing to ask, knowing by now that if Chrystal got company during nights like this she needed the foggy barrier that alcohol provided.

“So, Chrystal, haven’t seen you here in a bit.” Yang leaned one arm on the bar and turned to face her, a friendly smile on her face which quickly shrunk when she saw the dull distance in the other girl’s eyes. “...you okay?”

“Superb. Just a rough day, babe.” Chrystal gave a small smile to the blonde and shrugged, immediately taking a massive gulp of her drink and hissing as it hit her stomach.

Taking a sip of her own drink, Yang raised her eyebrows. “Oh boy, we’re in ‘babe’ territory. Not good. Wanna talk about it?”

“Not particularly. Wouldn’t be here if I did.”

“Wouldn’t be here _alone_ anyway. No Shina, no Cypher…” Yang gave a grim smile and tapped the counter with the flat of her hand a few times. “And you’re here instead of with Petyr, so…”

“Stop trying to psychoanalyse me, Yang. You’re not great at it.” Chrystal looked over at her with a raised eyebrow, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.

“It’s how I distract myself.” Yang shrugged, but she gave an apologetic smile nonetheless and went back to drinking from her glass.

“So you need distractions too, huh?”

“...just a rough day...like you I guess.” Yang sighed, finishing her drink and smiling at Junior for another one, the man not serving her as quickly as he would for Chrystal, which Chrystal noticed and grinned down at the counter about.

They were quiet for a minute or so as both continued to drink, Chrystal well on her way to being drunk, to the point she made sure to slow down a great deal to sober up a bit further. But eventually Yang broke the silence.

“How’s Kylar? He awake yet?”

“Nope. Sometime tomorrow, they think.” Chrystal answered bluntly, not looking away from her glass, and Yang winced as she _felt_ herself hit a raw topic.

“...it was pretty incredible what he did.” Yang prodded ever so gently, her eyes focused on the other girl, and she sighed slightly when she caught the pained flicker in Chrystal’s eyes.

Chrystal didn’t respond, not at first, instead she was silent long enough that Yang figured that the conversation was over and went back to her own drinks, but eventually the other girl spoke up in a contemplative voice.

“Hey Yang?”

“Yeah what’s up?”

“I’m really sorry…” Chrystal winced and squeezed her eyes closed for a moment, but made sure to look over at Yang, who frowned incredibly confused.

“What...for? You’re all cool, man.”

“The report my team handed in on our mission a few weeks back. We _knew_ that the horde of Grimm was down there.” Chrystal emphasised her words by gesturing with her fingers, before placing them palms down on the counter. “It was in our report, but then it was never acted on meanwhile the rest of our intel _was_ acted on and so you guys were sent there and then were in so much danger and-”

“Okay woah, woah woah, easy.” Yang reached over and put her hand on top of Chrystal’s, noticing how cold she felt, but it had the desired effect of getting her to look into her eyes. “It was _not_ your fault. It was Torchwick, the White Fang...don’t beat yourself up for the ploy those assholes pulled. And we all got out of it okay. Torchwick’s in prison, plenty of White Fang members are locked up, the only one who got away was that goddamn tiny girl from the train.”

As Yang grumbled the last part, Chrystal blinked and tilted her head in curiosity. “...who?”

“Oh just one of Torchwick’s henchmen. Tiny, packs a mean punch, like she _really_ just... ** _UGH._** She threw me around like a ragdoll and then scampered. Little bitch."

Yang’s hair shimmered for a brief moment as her eyes threatened to change colour in frustration, but she closed her eyes and calmed herself.

“...what did she look like?” Chrystal asked curiously

“Hmm?” Yang opened her eyes and turned to Chrystal. “Why ask?”

Giving a sigh, Chrystal moved her stool over and grabbed her scroll from her pocket, hesitating for a few moments before she opened up the security footage and showed it to the other girl, looking over at her. “This is security footage of my team’s report being denied on the Atlas servers, she’s the one who did it, and we know for a fact she’s not Atlas.”

“Shit…” Yang looked closely at the footage, trying to make out the exact facial appearance of the woman, but there wasn’t a clear shot until the woman exited the storeroom she had changed inside of. “Wait, what the fuck happened just then?”

“She’s got a Semblance. Looks as if she can change her appearance, even her outfit. Which means she’s a Huntsman. Or, well, someone who has their Aura unlocked.”

“And a lot of balls, sneaking onto an Atlas gunship…” Yang muttered, shaking her head almost in admiration, before glancing at Chrystal. “How’d you get this?”

Freezing, even though she knew the question had been coming, Chrystal took a deep breath and let it out slowly, well aware of the hostility team RWBY had for Torchwick and the fact she was next to the girl famous for her temper, and the fact her temper actively made her physically powerful enough to break through a building if pushed far enough.  
But, better admit it to someone sooner rather than later, even if it meant telling someone before she told her own team.

“...snuck up onto one of the gunships, hacked in, and stole it…” Chrystal said as bluntly as possible, causing the other girl to straighten up and raise her eyebrows so high they almost vanished into her hairline, Yang pausing for a few moments before a massive grin appeared on her face.

“Well look at you! And here I thought _that_ girl had guts. Damn...you really want to find out who fucked you over, dontcha?”

“Wouldn’t you??” Chrystal looked at her with an embarrassingly pleading voice, which had Yang pause in her giggly train of thought and look at the other girl seriously.

“Well...sure. I get it. The girls and I were chasing Torchwick like rabid dogs, and we finally got the bastard, so of course I get it. You’ll get this chick too. Is this the only lead you’ve got?”

“No...we’ve got a name. Of this particular alias she uses.” Chrystal sighed, looking back to her scroll and zooming in as much as possible on the girl’s face. “Lieutenant Eris Impa.”

“Hell of a name. How’d you find that out? Service records?”

Pausing for a few moments, Yang watched as Chrystal wrestled with something behind her eyes, though the rest of the girl’s face was sealed and tense without a single twitch or tick. The two didn’t know each other particularly well, they’d clubbed together quite a few times and had some good personal chats after getting a few drinks into themselves, but they didn’t exactly hang out outside of class or roll in the same crowds.  
Two completely different spheres. Or at least Yang had always thought so.

Team SKTC were...intense, in a way that Team RWBY and Team JNPR were...not.

So while on campus, they kept a distance. Not deliberately, just because it felt like a totally different social environment, and that some unspoken rule should be obeyed.  
Yang _had_ seen this sort of face on people before. In fact most of Chrystal’s expressions were somewhat familiar to her. She’d seen them on her own partner before.

Blake.

Guilt, fear, the desperate look of needing validation but hating that they wanted it, but over it all was a concrete composure that hid it all away unless you knew _exactly_ what to look for, and Yang had learned how to speak that language a while ago.  
So she waited patiently, because Chrystal would tell her when she was ready to do so, and she was clearly working herself up to it.

But she _was_ surprised when Chrystal stood and tossed enough lien on the counter to cover her drinks, before giving Yang an almost scared but set expression. “This is a conversation for outside. Please?”

“Uhh sure, yeah. You got it.” Yang quickly finished her own drink and stood, swaying slightly and noting with amusement that Chrystal was swaying slightly as well despite her Semblance.

As they walked out the door, Chrystal caught her jacket and harness as the bouncer casually tossed them to her, and the two gripped hands fondly and gave each other grins as she walked past, clearly sharing a few words that Yang didn’t catch. While her own gauntlets were never taken off of her, able to be retracted into concealed forms unlike Chrystal’s harness, she nevertheless felt the need to adjust them and make sure they were on properly as she stepped outside into the streets of one of the shadier parts of town.

Following Chrystal, she frowned in concern and wariness when she was led down into a side street, Chrystal stopping and putting her hands in her pockets. Yang stopped in front of her and crossed her arms, _deeply_ concerned at the wary and...guilty...look on the girl’s face.

“What’s up, hon? Talk to me.”

“...Torchwick gave me the name.” Chrystal mumbled, letting out a deep breath and meeting Yang’s gaze.

Silent for a few moments, Yang took a breath and let it out slowly. “...I see...when? How?”

“Up on the gunship. I...broke into the prison and spoke with him, and got the name.”

“Why on _earth_ would he sell out his own ally?”

“...I mean, he didn’t exactly give me her real name. That was out of the deal.” Chrystal shrugged, before her eyes widened and she froze, still noticing as Yang straightened and narrowed her eyes.

Staring across at the slightly shorter girl, Yang’s brain almost made a few ticking noises as she took an extremely deep breath, and her voice was _almost_ a growl from how suspicious she was. “...you made a deal with _Torchwick_?”

“I need to find this girl, Yang. She ruined _everything_ . The breach is _her fault_ . My friend is nearly dead because _she_ got in the way of what we did.” Chrystal explained in as hurried a voice as she could, holding up her hands placatingly with wide eyes, even though Yang didn’t look particularly agitated. Not yet, at least.

“...what the _fuck_ did you give him, Chrystal?” Yang asked in the same low voice, grinding her jaw and drumming her hands on her legs.

“I...wiped her from the Atlas security footage. And her existence from their files.” Chrystal answered quietly, looking down at the ground and closing her eyes.

“You did _what???”_ Yang hissed, turning away and running her hands through her hair, closing her eyes for a moment before spinning back. “Chrystal. You just...if you fail to catch her, that girl...she’s a ghost again now. You...gave whoever this group are, a weapon back. _Chrystal!_ ”

The girl ended in an angry snarl as she turned away again, her hair glowing slightly but not a massive deal as she did her best to swallow it down, looking over and taking in as Chrystal was standing taller and slightly more confidently than she had been before confessing it.

And Yang wasn’t a fan of it.

“Fuck, Chrystal. All the work _we’ve_ done to bring the hammer down on his operation, and you just... _fuck,_ I don’t even know how to…” Yang paced a few steps before making her way over to Chrystal and tilting her head right in front of her, almost in her personal space, the other girl meeting her eyes without hesitation or nervousness as she began to sober up, her aura-enhanced system helping her to burn off the alcohol far faster than a normal person.

Something was in Chrystal’s eyes that Yang wasn’t sure about, something that had been there the entire night, but now that the fog of the alcohol was lifting it was easy to see it. And it was a level of heat that had Yang stop in her tracks, merely able to take rapid and deep breaths.  
Chrystal was also breathing heavily, but not out of anger.  
It was because Yang had briefly given off flickers of fire.  
Clenching her fists inside of her jacket pockets, Chrystal tried her best to keep her head clear and her heart rate under control as she spoke, selecting and speaking every word as carefully as she could.

“I’m going to get them, Yang. And the little bitch is ending up in a cell right next to Torchwick. And she won’t be pretty by the time she gets there.”

“You _better_ get her.” Yang growled, taking another step closer, surprised slightly when Chrystal didn’t back away. “Because the amount of strain and stress Blake went through going after these guys almost broke her. If you make her suffering a waste…”

“You’ll what?” Chrystal whispered, raising an eyebrow, forced to only slightly look up at the slightly taller girl, but not taking a step back. “You don’t have the monopoly on revenge.”

Pausing for a few moments, Yang’s eyes briefly flickered red a few times as she clenched her hands so tightly they hurt. “You’re not normally like this. What’s going on with you, Chrystal? You’re normally more reasonable than this.”

“Let’s just call it a bad month.” Chrystal hissed, but her eyes fluttered and she sucked in a quick and deep breath, finding herself having difficulty letting it out.

“We _all_ have those, but a situation like _this_ is normally left untouched.” Yang scoffed, her eyes still halfway between lilac and red, she lowered her voice to a growl. “You better not fuck this up. Blake has only just started to open up and relax. Only just started to trust. Ruin that, and I’ll burn you.”

Gasping in surprise, Yang found herself being grabbed and slammed against the wall, Chrystal’s hands on the collar of her jacket and the most vicious look on her face that Yang had ever seen on the normally smirking and giggling girl. She also found herself surprised by how _strong_ Chrystal deceptively was, realising that the girl was lifting her so high that her feet were off the ground.

“ _Oh?_ Is that a promise?.” Chrystal snarled, her eyes wide and burning, filled with something dark enough that Yang immediately grabbed her wrists and pried them off herself, sending Chrystal back against the other wall of the alley, but the girl didn’t even stumble.

Even though Yang’s eyes were bright red from the adrenaline, and her hair was shimmering, she was taking acting efforts to keep control and calm down, noticing as Chrystal’s breathing was accelerating and her eyes wide and wild, with shaking hands and every muscle clenching and relaxing over and over again as tremors went through her.

“Chrystal...breathe...we both have to breathe.” Yang said as quietly and calmly as she was currently capable of doing. “You don’t want to do what you just tried to start.”

“You’re the one making threats you can’t fulfil.” Chrystal tried to scoff, but the sound came out dry and half-hearted, something in her eyes faltering. Her hands were shaking, her eyes wild and challenging, but they were looking _through_ Yang and not at her. “We both know you can’t hit me.”

As Yang’s eyes slowly went back to lilac and her hair calmed, she noticed that Chrystal hadn’t managed to calm down at all, and if anything she was getting more worked up by the second. Taking as good a look at her as possible, Yang thinned her lips and placatingly took a step back, raising her hands.

“We’re alright, we’re good.”

“...are we?...” Chrystal gave a sharp laugh, though her eyes weren’t in it. “You not going to...burn me, if I fuck up even further?”

“I know you’re not going to fuck it up, Chrystal.” Yang said slowly, keeping her voice calm and gently. “I trust you. I’m sorry I said that, yeah?”

“No, no you know what?” Chrystal stepped forward, her voice cracking slightly as she tilted her head. “I _dare_ you. Go on...burn me.”

“Chrystal…”

“Please?”

Blinking in shock, Yang took in the rapidly cracking composure on the other girl’s face, the way she was shaking like a leaf and how her voice had no heat in it, no sharp edges. Not anymore, now it was simply breakage.

Looking at her, Yang thinned her lips and shook her head. “No, we’re good. It’s all good.”

“...Yang...please...or I’ll make you.”

“You’ll make me?” Yang asked gently, watching slowly as Chrystal’s right hand twitched, and almost made the movement up to the harness on her back, but didn’t make it any higher than her stomach. “Easy, easy. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I’ll get her…” Chrystal mumbled, nodding at Yang distractedly and then looking off somewhere, mumbling the same sentence again to herself almost like a prayer. “I’ll get her.”

“I know you will. You’re okay.”

“...I’m sorry.” Chrystal mumbled, and Yang wasn’t entirely sure if it was her she was talking to, or whether or not Chrystal was talking to wherever she was looking off into.

“What’s going on, hon?” Yang tentatively took a half-step forward, almost going to speak again when Chrystal’s eyes widened for a brief moment before she dropped to her knees, throwing up with a violent retch.

“Oh geez.” Yang crouched down, making sure not to kneel, and ran her fingers through Chrystal’s hair, almost jerking in surprise when Chrystal’s hand shot up to grab her wrist faster than she could react. “Easy, you’re okay.”

Still looking down at the ground, Chrystal was shivering and her eyes were still wide as she gagged again, but there was nothing left, so instead it came out as violent choking that was cut off into a sob. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I...I _had_ to. I can’t lose him.” She mumbled. “I can’t let…”

Sighing, Yang cautiously and slowly removed Chrystal’s hand from her wrist and then scooted over to be next to the still kneeling girl and rub circles on her back. “He’s going to be just fine, you said so yourself.”

“I’ll make it up to Weiss somehow. I promise.”

“There’s no need, she was just doing what any of us would do for anyone else.”

“But still. She saved him. He was going to die.” Chrystal mumbled, giving a violent hiccup as Yang rubbed her back.  
“I won’t fuck it up, Yang.” Chrystal whispered, glancing up and seeming to look at Yang’s hair, the blonde girl’s eyes narrowing in curious confusion as she noticed, and followed her stare to where gentle wisps of flame and smoke were still ever so slightly swirling beneath the surface of the strands.

Unsure what to say next, Yang continued to stare down at the other girl, waiting for her to say anything more and watching as Chrystal shrank slightly further, a tremor going through her. When Chrystal finally spoke, her voice was curious, but in a way that had something in Yang’s mind shiver in apprehension and wariness.

“Do you ever wonder...how many people die because of us?” Chrystal asked quietly, still looking down at the ground, almost slumped entirely, and her olive skin noticeably paler in the shadows of the dark alley.

Yang straightened up and blinked.

“...what?”

“I don’t mean just at the breach. That was...a proper battle.” Chrystal shook her head, her eyes far away. “If we asked, they might tell us how many civilians died there. We slaughtered Grimm by the dozens but you saw the rubble too. The buildings that burned down.”

“It’s the job, right?” Yang tried to say casually, but she watched another shiver go through Chrystal’s body and her eyes briefly narrowed to try and study it, but it was gone so quickly that it was almost as if she’d imagined it. “We saved far more lives than were lost.”

“And your chase with the Paladin on the highway? With Torchwick?” Chrystal’s voice was somehow even softer and quieter, finally looking up to meet Yang’s eyes. That one did make Yang pause, and the blonde girl’s lips thinned as she failed to answer.

The truth was, she’d tried her best not to think about it. A vital part of their training as Huntsmen was learning how to disengage and detach from those sorts of concerns and questions, learning how to focus on the work and the results, a form of mental and emotional tunnel vision. On the highway they’d had an objective; Stop Torchwick.  
And they had all used that training even as cars were crushed or crashed. None of them had really thought about it. Even young Ruby had gone through that training. It was a lesson started before they were allowed to use their weapons in public, for their own wellbeing and safety.  
“I...don’t know.” She frowned, her eyes returning to their normal colour and the fire in her hair finally shimmering away. “But we did our job.”

Making a humming sound to acknowledge she’d heard it, Chrystal looked away, still shrinking down to as small a size as possible in front of the other girl. Yang watched as her eyes cooled and another shiver went through her.

“I’ve been in a lot of street fights. Gods know how many times people have tried to mug me, or even worse. Or even just drunken brawls.” Chrystal gave out a cold and disjointed laugh and shook her head in memory, before letting out a breath. “And yet I’ve never killed anyone. Not yet. Hell, the only people with awakened aura or Semblances that I’ve fought have been in training.”

“Well, me either. Isn’t that normal? I don’t think _any_ of us have ever killed another person.” Yang frowned, reaching out to place a hand on the other girl’s shoulder but then jerking her hand back when she flinched. “The percentage of people with awakened aura is tiny, you know that. It’s why we hold back. Even fewer people have Semblances.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Chrystal smiled in wonder, but the smile was dead. “Sometimes I think over how some of them must have discovered their Semblances. All it took was Kylar touching dust. Tacita’s awakened through focus. Shina’s under the influence of anger.”

Chuckling, Yang shrugged and crossed her arms with a smile, relieved that Chrystal seemed to be relaxing even if only slightly. “I feel you on that one. Blake still won’t tell.”

Giving a knowing smirk to Yang, clarity briefly reappearing, it vanished almost instantly as she heaved again, before nodding almost violently and looked around rapidly, giving a wide and confident smile for barely a second before it vanished again and was replaced with the same wide-eyed look she’d since she’d dropped.  
But she otherwise didn’t move, so Yang slowly shuffled around, taking a place in front of her and watching her face with a worried yet cautious expression.

As Chrystal’s hands began to shake again, Yang decided enough was enough, and pulled the other girl into a hug. Instantly terrified at how ice-cold Chrystal was, she pulled her in tighter, trying to use her high body temperature to warm her up. The girl froze in her arms, not responding at first, but eventually she tentatively put her hands on Yang’s back.

“I can’t lose anyone. I won’t let them take anyone.” She whispered, but Yang still felt like she wasn’t the one being addressed, so she simply squeezed the girl tighter, ignoring when she heard a teardrop touch her shoulder. As if a dam broke, Chrystal wrapped her arms around her tightly and hugged her back so close Yang almost found it hard to breathe for a few moments.

“Yang, any of you could have died...I almost... _we_ almost…” Her voice was quiet, almost silent, and if Yang wasn’t holding her so close she doubted she would have heard it.

“But we didn’t. We’re all still here, yeah?” She reached up with a hand and began to stroke Chrystal’s hair, noticing as the girl melted into the touch slightly.

“...I’ll find her. We’re going to get them all.”

“We are. Every single one of them.” Yang nodded into the hug, speaking as reassuring as possible.

In a slow movement, Chrystal pulled back from the hug and gave Yang a nod, seeming to be calming down slowly. “Alright. We can do this.”

“Damn straight we can.” Yang gave a playful smirk, testing the waters, and was relieved when she got a small smile back.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Chrystal was clearly coming back to herself gradually as she squeezed Yang’s arms and let go, crossing her arms over her own chest. She gave Yang a shy and scared look. “I’m sorry. But...you took it better than I expected, though.”

“It’s alright. I trust you. I promise.” Yang gave a friendly and dismissive wave of the hand and sighed to close the subject, but her eyes were still worried. “You good?”

“Yeah. Peachy.” Chrystal nodded, looking down at herself and scowling at the tear marks on her top, Yang smirking at one of the first proper expressions Chrystal making again being disappointment and frustration.

In a silent moment, Chrystal shuffled back into Yang’s arms, and Yang bundled her up again in concern. It was a quiet few minutes as Chrystal continued to whimper and shed more tears at seemingly random intervals, whispering things that Yang couldn’t hear but that also felt like it would be intruding to listen in on. It was only when one of the streetlamps flickered randomly that Chrystal seemed to come back to herself just enough to sit up and look around, before looking into Yang’s eyes and giving a sad and apologetic look.

“...sorry.”

Shaking her head, Yang gave a smile, and while she tried her best to hide her concern she knew enough of it was slipping out that Chrystal’s eyes flashed with guilt. Slowly managing to stand, Chrystal offered a hand and pulled Yang to her feet.  
Neither of them were particularly sure what to say as Chrystal straightened her clothes out, seeming to be putting off talking about it. By the time she was neat again, she looked as if she’d come to a decision, and it clearly wasn’t one she was proud of.  
Chrystal looked up and sighed, letting it out slowly, and checking her scroll for the time.

“...so this is an unhealthy idea that isn’t constructive at all, but I could really use a drink again.”

“...that definitely does sound like an unhealthy idea.” Yang nodded in agreement, before giving a shrug and starting the way out of the alley. “I’ll allow it if you dance too?”

“And here I thought you preferred black-hair and gold eyes in your girls.” Chrystal sniped back as she skipped up next to her, causing Yang to freeze in her step and look over at Chrystal with wide eyes, which was met with a suddenly concerned look.

“...you...it...what are you talking about?” Yang gave a scared laugh to play it off, which quickly died when Chrystal simply raised an eyebrow. Her mind racing a million miles a minute, she asked in a very quiet voice. “...huh?”

“It's alright, Yang. I can hardly judge, everyone knew about me and Cypher. I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.” Chrystal frowned in apologetic concern, placing her hand on Yang's arm.

"How did...you know?" Yang winced, crossing her arms over her chest defensively and swallowing, unable to look Chrystal in the eye even as the girl squeezed her arm reassuringly.

"Well, before I got with Petyr, I was...looking around, I guess. And I saw the signs, and kept seeing them even once Petyr and I got together. Especially at the dance. The way you look at her, the way you move when close to her. I know what it looks like, trust me." Chrystal gave a warm chuckle, meeting her eyes to reassure her as much as possible. "I've seen it in myself. So I sorta figured it out"

“Fuck. Shit. Dammit. Okay.” Yang sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “That’s...that could be bad. I think. I don’t know.”

“Your hyper-defensive attitude back in the alley didn’t help much either.” Chrystal added with a warm smile. "You talk about her a _lot_."

“... _fuck.”_ Yang looked down at the ground and winced, before looking over at Chrystal. “Don’t tell _anyone_.”

“Of course! I’m not going to out you, I’m not _that_ much of an asshole.” Chrystal reached over and put her other hand on Yang’s shoulder reassuringly, having come back to her senses entirely even though she was still shaking slightly. “Wait, so you're still closeted? Does _Ruby_ know? That you’re...?”

“What? No! God no.” Yang blinked at her with wide eyes. “ _I_ didn’t even know until I arrived at Beacon and met…” She trailed off, looking away before she finished.

Something inside of Chrystal melted, and she immediately pulled Yang into another hug, shaking them both side to side affectionately with a grin before she pulled back. “Trust me, I do know how it feels. You’re not alone, okay?”

“...you reckon? You don't care? You're cool?”

“Of course! There’s me, Cypher, Coco...huh, lots of C names now that I say them out loud.” Chrystal tilted her head as she realised, her musing interrupted by Yang laughing.

“You’re a mess, girl.” Yang shook her head and rolled her eyes, but she did feel a certain weight lift off her chest.

“Yes, yes I am. But I do make it look good.”

“Well I wasn’t going to _say_ anything…” Yang shrugged innocently as the two of them walked back into the club, Chrystal handing her weapons and jacket back to the bouncer. But Chrystal could tell that Yang was still shaken, and even though she might have been trying to escape from the topic at hand, Chrystal felt in her gut that she shouldn't let her. Not yet.

“But my point remains.” Chrystal nodded, before pausing and frowning, trying to get Yang to re-engage. “...what was my point again?”

“Something about me not being alone?” Yang shrugged again, the two of them looking around at the club, which was far emptier than it was before.

“Oh right. But, yeah. Look...if you ever want to talk about coming to terms with...you know. I’m always happy to. I was lucky, I had Coco when I realised.”

Pausing for a moment, Yang looked over at Chrystal and gave a genuine small smile, nudging her with her shoulder. “Thanks. It's...weirdly scary. I mean, I've noticed girls before, but I thought that was just a part of growing up and going through hormones and all that other random shit they tell us. But then...Blake. And I then had to come to terms with a _lot_ of things about myself very _very_ quickly.”

Chrystal gave a sympathetic laugh and nodded. "Yep, that's generally how it goes. Same thing happened to me. A girl named Eleanor, back home. She didn't even go to the academy, but I knew her. Meeting her was my 'oh shit' moment."

"...how did you deal with it?" Yang asked quietly, a rare look of insecurity coming over her face which faded when Chrystal immediately paused in her walking to pull her into a comforting hug.

"It took time. I was scared, and I didn't know what was safe to say. But I trusted Shina, so I told him. I was so scared, even though I knew he was the same. And he gave me a hug, agreed Eleanor was cute, and told me to go ask Coco for advice if I ever needed it since swinging both ways is a bit of a different experience for girls. So, I did. And it helped." Chrystal then playfully huffed and scowled. "Sadly Eleanor was straight, but it was still how I started that journey of accepting myself about it."

"So are you my Shina or my Coco in this instance?" Yang asked playfully with a grin, but there was gratitude in the look, and she gave Chrystal a squeeze as she let go and stepped back.

"I'm me. I'm a bit more straightforward than Shina's normal playful charm, and I'm confident but not as aggressive as Coco, so the only advice I can give you is my own; Give it a try. Blake might just surprise you. _But_ I would personally recommend that you tell Ruby first."

"You sure? Why? I mean, I don't think she's even noticed _guys_ yet, so is that something I can really put on her shoulders? It's just..." Yang looked down and shook her head, scared. "I trust her, but what if she doesn't get it? What if my _dad_ doesn't get it?"

"If you trust them, then _trust_ them. I don't know your dad, but I know Ruby, and that girl has a pure heart. She'll just want you to be happy. And I'm suggesting you tell her because it makes things so much easier to have someone in your corner who's close by. I adore you Yang, and I respect you infinitely, and you can _always_ come ask to hang out. But we don't see each other day to day, not really. But you _are_ with Ruby." Chrystal frowned at her own rambling and narrowed her eyes. "Am I even making sense?"

"In your usual way." Yang chuckled, looking up again and reaching out to take one of Chrystal's hands, giving it a squeeze. "Okay. But...not yet. I'll think about it. Please don't tell anyone. Please?"

“Of course. Not even my team know.” Chrystal gave a small smile, looking away for only a bare moment before looking back. “ _But_ , we’re getting very serious. You said you wanted to dance?”

“I’m told you’re quite the dancer.” Yang casually threw it out into the air as they stepped onto the dancefloor. In truth, everyone knew that Chrystal could dance. The girl had a reputation for it. She’d taken lessons her entire life.

In response, Chrystal grabbed Yang’s hand and yanked her in towards her, giving her an almost predatory grin that had the normally assertive and confident Yang gasp and her eyes widen. Chrystal gave a small and playful smile. “Maybe I can teach you a few things. I’ve been doing a lot of teaching lately, it seems.”

Yang tried to keep a confident look in her eyes, but as Chrystal's hands slid down to her waist she shivered, her voice fiery. “Bring it on.”

+=+=+


	11. Four Days Until The Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With four days left until the tournament, Kylar finally awakens just in time to speak to his father. As Chrystal confesses to Team SKTC, plans have to be made even as Logan and Tesse Goroesi confront Ozpin to find out exactly what he wants for their son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is a long, long one.

Airjets had been coming and going in Vale so constantly for the past month that when yet another touched down it didn’t even draw more than a glance from anyone in the passing crowds and groups. The only thing about it that _did_ draw any looks was the dark green symbol of a set of scales wreathed in vines painted on the side of the craft, and the people who recognised it found themselves pausing to watch for a few moments before having to hurry on their way. It wasn’t often that ships from the Paragon Corporation appeared in Vale anymore, instead mostly dealing with Mistral despite the far longer trips.

No-one was sure why, but hey, it wasn’t their business so they hurried along without mulling on it.

As the ramp doors opened and it began to extend down to the ground, Tacita found herself rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands folded in front of herself nervously, wringing her fingers together as she kept her face as composed and dignified as possible, in a set of her nicest casual clothes that were ironed and pressed perfectly. Her blonde hair was tied back in a tight intricate braid that, even with a very hungover Chrystal’s help, had taken far too long to tie. Affecting a polite smile as the man and woman made their way down onto the cement of the landing strip, she straightened up and nodded politely to Kylar’s mother and father, but otherwise kept her posture tight and composed, with no other twitch.  
While Kylar’s father Logan, looking so much like his son it was almost eerie except his slightly lighter hair and softer features, cast his eyes around at the busy crowds as people moved around, his hands behind his back as he walked, Kylar’s mother Tesse immediately gave Tacita a wide smile and quickly paced forward, stopping in front of her and affectionately putting her hands on the sides of Tacita’s arms.

It was from Tesse where Kylar got his sharp eyes from, but instead of brown his mother’s eyes were a fierce blue, and her dark hair barely went past her shoulders and was ringed with curls. But even through the simple suit the woman wore the residual muscles from her time as a Huntsman were obvious, and it would normally give the gentle-faced woman an intimidating stature if she wasn’t also smiling most of the time. Giving Tacita a wide smile, Tesse leaned in and softly pressed her lips to the girl’s forehead.

“Tacita sweetheart, it’s good to see you. Gods you’re getting so strong.”

“Hi Mrs Goroesi.” Tacita gave a soft smile at the affection, almost going to give a polite curtsy before blinking in surprise when Tesse scoffed and pulled her into a hug. Freezing in surprise for a few moments as she wondered what was alright to do, Tacita threw caution to the wind and wrapped her arms around the woman back and squeezed, smiling.

“Oh enough with that, honey. You know you’re as good as family.” Tesse scoffed and pulled back to softly cup Tacita’s cheek, nodding at her lovingly before stepping away as Logan approached and stood next to his wife.

Swallowing in a flash of anxiety, Tacita glanced around to see if anyone was noticing as she immediately straightened back up and resumed her polite posture and expression, though her eyes were shining a bit more than they had been before.

“Mr Goroesi, it’s good to see you.”

“Hello Tacita…” Logan chuckled, stepping in and placing a hand on her shoulder, kissing her forehead in fond greeting. “I appreciate you deeming us worth your best behaviour, but there’s no need. Besides, _we’re_ the guests here. You can relax.”

“Oh thank the gods.” Tacita slumped her shoulders, blinking as her facial muscles relaxed and she took a few deep breaths to work out how sore her back was from standing so straight. “I mean, not that I mind doing it, I understand _why_ I should do it, but…”

Chuckling, Logan squeezed her shoulder before stepping away and starting the path across the city to the school, Tacita falling in step next to him with Tesse on her other side, the young girl in the middle. “How are you holding up, sweetheart?”

“I...well…” Tacita winced, before shaking her head to dismiss it and giving him a reassuring smile and nod. “I guess the easiest answer is that I’m handling it, I think we all are.”

“Of course. I can understand that. Is...my son awake yet?” Logan glanced over at her, and he thinned his lips in worry when she shook her head. Going back to looking ahead of them as they walked, he drummed his fingers on his palms behind his back and narrowed his eyes in thought.

“They think he’ll wake up in a couple of hours. You picked a good day.” Tacita gave him an optimistic smile. “Will you be staying long?”

“Sadly not…” Logan sighed, running a hand through his air and shaking his head stressfully. “Five days. I wish it were longer, I really do wish I could stay long enough to watch _all_ your fights, but...this is the only time I could slip away.”

He gave her an apologetic look and grabbed her hand for a moment to squeeze it, and while her face did fall and she looked down sadly, she nodded in understanding before trying to give him a smile. “...okay. That’s okay. You’re really busy. He’ll be happy to see you anyway.”

It had been quite a while since he’d been to Vale, and even longer than that since he’d been to Beacon. He could try and claim that it had just been work, that he hadn’t been actively avoiding the place, but it would be a lie. There was simply too much here. In these streets, under this sky, with that specific view of the academy always visible as if it were a guiding star leading home. When he and Tesse lost the other two members of their team, his father had died only a few weeks later and it had been almost a relief to take over the family business.  
To stay distracted, to find a new purpose.  
Now he was back. His eldest son, his pride, competing in the Vytal Tournament that Logan’s own team had gotten so close to winning back in their day. And it had brought him back.

Humming in amusement at the thought, he nodded to himself as he glanced down from where he’d been staring at the arena floating up ahead. While Tesse and Tacita spoke quickly and happily next to him, he was content to remain quiet.

Initially he and Tesse had been concerned when Kylar had seemingly inherited his introversion, worried their son would end up as alone as Logan himself nearly did. But when he glanced over at the young girl next to him, he smiled, once again reminded and relieved that it wasn’t the case. Without needing to ask for directions or needing reminding, he led the way to the medical ward once they entered the academy grounds, speeding up in his walking as his chest clenched in slight anxiety, his hands moving from behind his back to down by his sides. As they approached the doors, Tacita and Tesse fell quiet as well, both of them worried. While Tesse looked progressively more frantic, Tacita instead looked subdued, looking down at the ground as she walked.

Pausing outside of the room where his son was laid up, he only hesitated for a moment before opening the door and stepping side for Tesse and Tacita to enter first, before following and closing the door behind them.

Kylar looked peaceful, colour having gradually started to return to his skin as his aura worked rapidly to repair the intense damage that had been done to his body, let alone the damage done to his aura itself from stretching so far due his Semblance that it almost snapped entirely. But almost his entire left side had been broken or fractured, and while it was all healing quickly due to his aura it wasn’t healing as fast as it normally should have.

The damage done to his aura slowing down his ability to heal at all.  
Sucking in a breath as he looked over at the bed, Logan felt his hand tighten around the doorknob and he quickly released it and walked over to the bedside, Tesse already sitting and running fingers gently through Kylar’s hair while Tacita had taken a seat in the closest chair but was otherwise keeping out of the way.  
Reaching over to gently lay his hand on his son’s chest, Logan sighed deeply in concern and closed his eyes, looking down and taking another deep breath.

“What was it that happened? As many exact details as you can.”

“I’ve...it’s been a long few weeks.” Tacita spoke quietly, looking down at the ground and folding her hands in her lap. “There was a Grimm invasion, a hole blown into the street, and he tried to close it. Well, I guess he _managed_ to close it, but it broke him…”

Glancing over at her and seeing how downcast she was, Tesse stood from the bed and knelt down in front of Tacita, taking the girl’s hands in her own gently and giving them a reassuring squeeze and a soft smile. “All the details, take it as slow as you need.”

“I...don’t know exactly what combination he used for Royal Alchemy. But according to Shina, he said it was likely going to be four. And then air dust to get into the sky.”

“ _Four…_ ” Tesse breathed, closing her eyes for a few moments before looking over at Logan, who had lost some colour in his face and looked back at Kylar, his mouth tightened.

Tacita nodded, her voice still quiet and soft. “It was big. Really big. I...can’t tell you an exact size. But it broke his aura, then he fell. A long way. But Weiss Schnee of Team RWBY slowed him down just enough he didn’t...die.”

“...Schnee glyphs…” Logan sighed, giving a nod and a grim smile. “That’d do it. Been a _long_ time since a Schnee has saved a Goroesi’s life...I’ll…”

“We’ll organise a meeting and thank her, love.” Tesse spoke up, giving her husband a reassuring and sure nod. “She saved his life….”

“She did.” Logan reached up to run his fingers through Kylar’s hair, giving a worried smile with tints of relief in his eyes as he looked at his son. “What matters is that he’s going to be okay.”

Giving a small nod, Tacita looked back down, at where Tesse was holding her hands, and she swallowed down the lump in her throat as her mind once again went back to what had happened, giving Tesse’s hands a squeeze.

“Okay.” Logan nodded, his face going serious and professional as he looked over at Tacita, but keeping his hand on Kylar’s chest. “Tell me about this Grimm invasion. From the beginning”

“Sir…it’s been a _really_ intense couple of months.” Tacita gave out a wet laugh and met his eyes, and he gave a sad smile in response. But she nodded and wiped the back of her hand along her eyes. “But I can tell you _our_ part of it.”

“And that will be good enough, honey. Start at the beginning.” Tesse gave her a reassuring smile, before raising an eyebrow when Tacita pulled out her scroll and brought up a file, before biting the inside of her lips and passing her scroll to Tesse.

“We were sent on a mission. And...here’s a copy we made of our report. I can try and fill in the blanks...”

Giving it a quick scan, Tesse frowned and passed it to Logan, who took the time to read it slowly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Biting the inside of his cheek as he scrolled through it, he read quickly, flicking through photos taken of the maps and the typed copies of the team’s notes. Asking for the occasional clarification, his face fell further with each answer and detail he learned, eventually gripping the scroll so tightly the device threatened to permanently bend. When he finished, he tapped his fingers on the edge of the scroll and looked over at the wall in thought, muttering silently as his mind fired off, a habit that had passed on to his son.

“It’s the same horde?”

Tacita nodded, biting her bottom lip and looking over at him. “We think so. We saw it in the caves when we went for CULD.”

Nodding distractedly, Logan put the scroll down on the bed next to him and crossed his arms over his chest, eyes closed as a frown deepened and deepened. Watching him patiently, Tesse narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her mouth. “And Chrystal _is certain_ in her suspicion that Ozpin gave you that mission on purpose?”

“Yeah…Kylar thinks so too. I’m not sure though.” Tacita nodded yet again, frowning as well as Logan and Tesse shot each other a sharp look that had a small chill go through her blood.

“...never mind any of that for now.” Logan sighed, deflating slightly and pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers before running the same hand up and through his hair, nodding to himself as he sorted away a thousand thoughts. Glancing down at Kylar, he grit his teeth for a few moments as his eyes softened. “That can all wait. For now though...well, if anyone _is_ expecting us, they’ll have to find us right here.”

Smiling at them both, Tacita nodded, giving Tesse’s hands a squeeze as she stood and brushed herself off, swallowing. “The first rounds of the tournament are in a week, and I know the others are waiting for me at the gym, do you two mind if I…?”

“No, not at all. You run along sweetheart.” Tesse straightened up and gave her a smile, placing a hand on Tacita’s back as the girl stepped past. “We’ll be right here, if you’d like to come see us later.”

“I will. It’s...nice to see you both again.” Tacita gave them a soft smile, pausing in the doorway as she opened it, before gently waving and stepping out, making sure to close the door behind her.

+=+=+

When Shina’s foot connected with her stomach, Chrystal went sprawling backwards a few paces before catching her balance and springing back on her hands to gain some distance, panting heavily as she felt the bruise on her gut rapidly heal. As she ran the back of her hand along her mouth, she tried to ignore the suspicious and concerned look Shina was giving her, but she knew it was only a matter of time until he said something about it.  
Sprinting forward again, bouncing on her feet to stay agile, the moment Shina assumed she would sweep his legs she instead raised and slid under his block, grabbing his hand and with a simple twist bringing him to his knees in an armlock that he immediately found it easy to break out of, writhing out of it and spinning away, bouncing to his feet and swinging his leg up to try and crack into the side of her ribs in the process, but she simple grabbed his foot and pushed him away.

“Okay, you’re slow today. What’s going on?” Shina bounced on his feet a few times to stretch the muscles, before calmly settling, the two of them slowly circling each other. “I’ve hit you five times this fight. Five. That’s three more than I usually get in without cuts.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…” Chrystal shook her head, stopping in her circling and crossing her arms. “Just distracted.”

“Yeah this isn’t just you with a hangover. I can tell. What’s going on?”

Biting her bottom lip for a moment, Chrystal made her way over to the edge of the sparring arena and grabbed her water bottle from the bench, taking a deep gulp before sighing and closing her eyes. “If all I can say is that I want to talk about it as a group, is that enough to sate your curiosity for now?”

“It’s not just curiosity, it’s that I’m worried.” Shina followed her over and grabbed his own water, looking over at her with a frown. “You’ve been...off...for a couple of days now. Ever since our argument after the breach.”

“I know...it’s…” Sinking down onto the bench, she put her head in her hands and began tapping her feet anxiously, not responding to his touch when he sat down next to her and put his hand on her back. “I did something really stupid, Shina.”

It was a sentence she’d said to him _plenty_ of times before, but normally there was an exasperated and self-deprecating tone to it that always made it clear that she knew she was going to get out of it alright, but this time it was absent. Instead she simply sounded scared, a tone of anxiety that had something inside of his gut clench to hear it.  
So he rubbed her back and nodded, the best and only thing he was able to do.

“Well, like you said, once Kylar wakes up we’ll all talk about it. It’ll be okay.”

“I’m sorry I shouted at you.” Chrystal said abruptly, looking up from her hands and giving him a strained smile. “I was just scared.”

“I know. Me too.” Shaking his head, looked away with an insecure look in his eyes, thinking over what she had said. “I’m trying to be a good leader. I’m sorry that...yeah. I’m sorry.”

Nodding, she shuffled slightly closer so that their shoulders were touching, and looked down at her hands folded in her lap, her fingers drumming on the back of her hands in a stressed rhythm. With how thick the walls and door were, the room was entirely silent despite how busy the rest of the gym was. All the other sparring rooms were in use as well, with the first round of the tournament only days away everyone was pushing themselves to their limits to make sure they were as ready as they could be.  
They weren’t sure who they would be fighting first. The selection process was randomised, and the first roll would be done the morning of the first matches, which was something that Chrystal found incredibly exciting when she was in a good mood. But for now it just felt like an oncoming storm of even more stress and strain.

Tapping her hands together, she looked over at where he had been quietly thinking, unknowingly the two of them had been thinking along the same lines as he considered just how ready they were for the tournament ahead. She gave him a grim smile.

“Are we ready for this? With everything going on?”

“I think so” Giving her a smile, he shrugged helplessly. “But sadly the only way to find out is a trial by fire. But you can’t be distracted for it. Whatever it is that’s bugging you, we gotta get it out of your system before the first match.”

“Right.” Chrystal nodded, narrowing her eyes in thought before standing and stretching her arms above her head. “How full is your aura right now?”

“Uhh, completely full. Obviously. What about yours? And why do you ask?”

Giving him a casual look and shrug, she reached down and grabbed her weapon harness, putting it on quickly, before tossing him his sword and raising her eyebrows. “We aren’t going to be fighting the tournament unarmed, aren’t we?”

Catching his sword and looking down at it for a few moments, he smirked and looked up at her, shrugging as he pulled it from its sheath and tossed it between his hands, hopping back up into the sparring arena as Chrystal checked the ammo clips in her pistols and loaded them.

“So, the tournament rules are if you drop to fifteen-percent you’re out. But it’s also ring-out, which makes things a bit easier.” Shina took on his team leader voice as he stretched his arms and flourished his sword to stretch his wrists, noting with amusement as Chrystal stared right at him as she cocked her pistols to chamber the first rounds.

“Kylar and Tacita are field control, so the ring-outs are their department, but for us…” She trailed off as she slid her pistols back into her harness and drew her swords. “Well, we’re just going to have to beat the shit out of people. There is an important question though.”

Tilting his head at the suddenly serious look on her face, Shina nodded and shrugged. “Fire away.”

“What’s the maximum number of cuts you’re going to let yourself use for this?”

Pausing as he thought over it, he let out a slow breath and rested his sword on his shoulder, looking off at the wall. The first cut was relatively easy to maintain these days. If his aura was full, he could hold it for around twenty minutes, _far_ longer than any tournament match could ever be. Second cut was harder, but still doable. At full aura, he could manage ten at a _push_ .  
But the third cut was a brutal punishment to use, while also being incredibly powerful. It was a good trump card, but he could only hold it around two minutes before his muscles threatened to tear themselves apart at the unnatural exertion.  
And the fourth cut was unthinkable, only for life or death.  
Thinning his lips, he clicked his tongue and looked back to Chrystal.

“In the team round and the doubles round I’d like to only use the first. If I get to the singles rounds, I’ll use second. If I get to the grand final…” He gave a dismissive shrug with raised eyebrows. “It’ll certainly be giving them a show, even if just a quick one.”

Thinking over his answer, Chrystal nodded in agreement and pursed her lips, before closing her eyes and focusing on her aura to bring it to the surface of her skin. There were several different techniques of meditation and mental focus that were theorised to control or ‘summon’ your aura or Semblance, but none had ever been proven. Tacita believed they worked though, so...worth a try.

“Alright. Then as long as we don’t kill each other, shall we do this properly?”

“You sure? You’re _really_ off your game today.”

In response, Chrystal walked over to a terminal near the wall and activated it, quickly scrolling through the students list until she found their names, selecting them, and then looking up as the sensors on the roof and sparring arena floor whirred to life. A giant screen on the wall lit up, bringing up both of their names as well as an accurate meter to monitor their aura levels. Humming to herself in satisfaction, she gave a smile and hopped back into the arena, drawing her swords again and flourishing them.  
Looking up at the screen himself for a few moments, Shina smirked and nodded before dropping into his own ready stance. It had been quite a while since they had sparred with their actual weapons, normally electing for special sparring variations made of toughened wood that had been treated to weigh the same. Plenty of teams sparred with each other using their proper weapons, it seemed like the most sensible way to do it, and in most cases it was.  
But the pair had decided a while ago to switch away.

After all, whenever either of them fought anything at all things tended to...break.

Not even waiting to be pushed to the same point he’d normally wait for, Shina touched into his semblance and awakened it, opening the first ‘cut’. Chrystal watched as her friend’s skin greyed out slightly and the veins in his eyes became more obvious, and she smirked, tightening her grip on her blades as she lowered her stance further. With Shina sped up by the first level, he was almost as fast as she was when she wasn’t pushing herself.

So she’d have to go above and beyond, even if just a little.

Without a word, they both shot forward. To an outsider who didn’t have an awakened aura, it would have been almost like watching blurs, and unlike with other normal spars there wasn’t the normal constant clanging or screeching sounds of metal against metal. Instead the clashing was infrequent, with Chrystal having no need to actively block and instead simply able to step or slide or leap around any attempt to hit her.  
While she didn’t have the fastest Semblance over long distance, the fastest Semblance in the academy _definitely_ went to Ruby Rose, Chrystal by far had the fastest Semblance in close range. Even with Shina’s natural talent for swordsmanship enhanced by his own semblance, the times he got close enough to clash with her were only when _she_ attacked him.  
It was Chrystal’s weakness, and all four of them knew it. Her defense had the reputation of being impenetrable, when she was actually focusing, but her offense fell far behind in comparison.

But you didn’t need to make direct contact to damage someone’s aura, simply pushing their body to a limit was enough to threaten their muscles, and both of them kept notice as Shina’s aura was dropping faster than Chrystal’s was as his Semblance took its normal toll. The fight was only taking a few minutes, but to the two of them it felt like an hour. Even as their aura levels ticked down, they kept going.

As he brought his blade across in a slash, Chrystal bent over almost entirely backwards and used one of her swords to hit his slash off-center, throwing him just off balance enough that her own slice slid across his right thigh and his aura crackled, before her aura warned her to flip out of his reach as his counter came down for her.  
The moment she landed from her flip she slid forward again, sheathing her left sword in the movement and drawing her pistol to catch his blade with hers and fire into his chest, but he twisted out of the way and her eyes widened as she caught his skin going greyer and his pupils widening so far the colour of his eyes was almost indiscernible. He’d gone into the second cut.

Internally swearing, she rolled away and had to bring her sword up and behind herself to block a cut directed at her back, kicking backwards with her leg to catch him in the gut only for him to catch her foot and hold her down as he brought his sword swinging down fast enough that only a handful of students in the school would have the speed to either block it or dodge.

As it continued its arc, Chrystal grunted as she deflected it with her own blade at the same moment she took advantage of her nearly infinite mobility to pull herself up by the grip he had, bring her other leg over his shoulder, and twist her body to send him sprawling away, the two of them hitting the arena mat but immediately bouncing to their feet again, Chrystal timing it during her roll to send three shots into Shina’s back.  
Chrystal looked down at her torso where her aura was crackling from where a decent amount of his blade had still made contact, and for his own part Shina was breathing heavily and his golden aura was flickering constantly. They both glanced up at the meters, where they were both on around twenty percent but Shina’s was consistently dropping from using his Semblance. They both knew what it meant. 

Chrystal had the match.

To stay in the match, he’d have to drop his Semblance to stop it eliminating himself. If he did so, he’d never hit her. Nodding in exhausted satisfaction, Shina dropped his sword in submission with a tired grin.  
Letting out a tired groan, Chrystal slumped down onto the mat, sprawled out on her back and staring up at the roof, grinning groggily as the screen popped up with her name as the victor when Shina’s aura dropped below the minimum. They both watched as the school rankings came up and another victory came up on her statistics sheet, Shina crawling his way over to her and slumping down next to her, both of them looking up at the roof.

“You’re catching up.” He panted, looking over at her with a proud expression. She gave a tired smile in response and nodded, pleased with herself. Looking over at the rankings before they vanished from the screen, she wasn’t surprised that she was still pretty far behind Pyrrha and Shina, but her eyes fell on Yang Xiao Long’s name as her primary contender to go up another ranking level. Thinking about the previous night, she smirked.  
Next combat class she might just have to challenge the girl.

Maybe she was ready.

Chrystal frowned slightly as she thought about it, looking up at the roof and humming to herself as she mulled. She knew she was getting better, she could feel it when she trained and when she fought, and when they were on missions. But it never felt like enough. Infiltration, reconnaissance, and stealth. Those were her field advantages and her strengths, her file even said so in plain words. Not combat.

But she was getting better. She had started beating Shina more and more, even though nine times out of ten he still wiped the floor with her. But she was getting there. And she was starting to last longer against Pyrrha now. Not _much_ longer, mind you. But...a bit longer. Pyrrha herself had expressed admiration at her progress.  
Remembering it, Chrystal smiled shyly purely at the memory before shrugging it off.

“We’re ready.” She said simply, looking next to her at Shina who was instantly nodding in agreement.

“We are. You sure you’re okay with me taking the singles matches?”

“Of course. I want them to see what you can do.” She nudged his shoulder with hers affectionately and gave a grin. “Besides, I don’t want to get beaten into a pulp by anyone on live television anyway.”

Laughing and shrugging to concede the point, Shina sat up slightly when the training room door opened and Tacita entered, her bow and quiver on her back from where she’d been training at the range. Looking over at them and waving, her eyes then went up to the screen and she raised her eyebrows, before giving Chrystal a wide smile.

“You beat him?”

“Only barely.” Shina mumbled, causing Chrystal to give him a glare before the girl gave an exhausted thumbs up to Tacita.

“Yup. It sucked. I hurt.”

“You _shot_ me.” Shina shot a glare at her. “You deserve to be a bit sore.”

“Oh don’t be such a baby, I knew you had the aura for it.”

Laughing at her friends as she took her bow and quiver off and put them with the rest of everyone’s belongings, clicking the bow down to its retracted form, Tacita hopped up into the arena and sat down across from the other two, crossing her legs meanwhile they both stayed laying flat and staring at the ceiling.

“You know, you two are going to have to talk to Kylar’s parents eventually.” She spoke in an almost lecturing voice, raising her eyebrows at them as Chrystal gave a strained groan and covered her eyes.

“They scare the shit outta me. His dad’s terrifying, and what’s his mum’s name again?”

“Tesse, she’s nice. And his dad isn’t so bad. Just busy.” Tacita chuckled, before nudging Shina’s foot with her hand. “And what’s your excuse, Team Leader?”

Sighing in defeat, Shina shook his head as he crossed his hands underneath his head and continued to look up at the roof, the monitor on the wall finally turning off and the room going slightly darker. “I don’t have one, fine. What am I even meant to _say_ to them?”

“Trust me, his mum will control the conversation.” Tacita huffed with exasperated raised eyebrows and a shrug. “You’ll mostly just be replying.”

“...so that’s where Kylar gets it from.” Chrystal snickered, before flinching when Tacita smacked her on the thigh. “Ow! Ow. Aura weak, fine, sorry.”

Scoffing, Tacita rolled her eyes and finally laid back, uncrossing her legs to lay flat and join her friends in staring up at the roof. “So where were you until all hours the other night? I hadn’t had the chance to ask you yet. I woke when you came in.”

“Yeah yeah, I know you did.” Chrystal huffed, crossing her arms and lifting her head up slightly to be able to look over at her friend. “You always do. And I’ll fill you guys in once Kylar’s up and about. I’m sorry I’ve been having another of my...freak outs...the past few days.”

Neither of them really knowing how to respond, Shina simply reached across the floor and put his hand softly on the side of Chrystal’s face, giving her a gentle smile when she looked at him. “You’re okay. But, I would like you to talk to us about what’s going on.”

“I will...I’ve just been trying to word how to explain it.” She sighed, nuzzling into the familiar touch for a few moments before sitting up with a sore groan.

Nodding in understanding, Tacita sat up as well and stood, reaching down to help first Chrystal and then Shina to their feet, looking between the two of them. “Come on, shower off and then let’s head back to the ward. They’re taking him off the meds soon, he’ll be awake in an hour.”

As the three of them left the sparring room, closing the door behind them, both Tacita and Chrystal briefly faltered in their step as they registered...something. While it simply just tickled the back of Chrystal’s enhanced instincts, Tacita instead saw something within her field of vision, but without her direct focus it was almost blurry. Like she was looking at something that wasn’t quite...there. Extending her vision, she put her hand on Chrystal’s arm to reassure the girl as she looked back at where they came from, and the people around them.  
Far across the main gym floor, watching them with curious eyes, was a rather short girl with bright green eyes and pure black hair tied into basic pigtails. But something about her registered...wrong, and as Tacita focused her semblance on the girl it was as if something surrounding the girl shimmered and threatened to break.

Trying to keep her composure and normal pace as best as possible as the three of them left the gym, she brought her vision back to just what was around them and glanced over at Chrystal, who was looking at her with questioning eyes. She shook her head to dismiss it, a small frown on her face.

“Don’t worry about it. We were just being watched, is all.”  
“Watched as in _casually_ or watched as in _observed_?”

“Just casually, I think she was just bored.” Tacita shrugged, already moving on from it as the three of them made their way towards the medical ward. But she wasn’t quite sure. She’d seen blurs like that before, but it didn’t place, so she waved it off with a smile to Chrystal.

But Chrystal frowned for a moment, and found herself tapping her fingers on the pocket where her scroll was. It felt familiar, clearly being stared at in such a way, but she couldn’t place it.

The frown remained on her face as they stepped from the warm outside sun into the cool air conditioning of the medical bay. Eventually Shina bumped her hand with his own to snap her out of it, a concerned look on his face that she quickly shook her head to reassure him about, smiling stressfully.  
Pausing outside the door to Kylar’s room, Tacita looked over at the other two with an amused look as she watched them both take deep breaths as if to calm anxiety, before she simply rolled her eyes and opened the door to step in.  
Logan and Tesse both looked up as the door opened, Tesse having simply been sitting by Kylar’s bed, meanwhile Logan had commandeered the small table in the room to have apparently set out some paperwork, a pen in his hands as he worked. As the three teens entered he gave a smile and stood, brushing off his hands, taking a step over as Tesse rose and did as well with a wider smile.

“Shina, Chrystal, it’s good to see you both again. I’m sorry we never got to properly meet last time. I’m Tesse.” Tesse’s voice was far warmer and gentler than Shina and Chrystal had expected from someone from Kylar’s family, and they glanced at each other for a brief moment before Shina gave a smile and stepped forward offering his hand.

“It’s good to properly meet you Mrs Goroesi, I’m Shina. Shina Kamisari.” He shook her hand firmly before turning to Logan and noticeably straightening up a bit, almost going to offer his hand but Logan instead gave a chuckle and placed his hand on Shina’s shoulder firmly.

“No need to be anxious or anything, lad. I’m Logan. It’s good to properly meet you. And you must be the infamous Chrystal that my son whinges about in his calls so often.” Logan gave a grin and extended his hand to Chrystal, who blushed slightly and took it, before also shaking Tesse’s.

Stepping back from the two teens, Logan put his hands in the pockets of his pants and raised his eyebrows at them with a smile. “So, the rest of the notorious Team SKTC. You’re quite popular on tv at the moment.”

“Wait, what?!” Chrystal blinked with wide eyes, looking over at Shina and Tacita and then back to Logan, while Tesse smirked, trying to hide it.

“Oh yes, the Vytal Tournament Coverage is putting the four of you quite high on the stakes. Especially now with what, well…” He gestured to where Kylar was still unconscious, looking almost entirely back to normal. “With what Kylar did. Gambling odds are definitely skewed, not many people want to bet against you.”

Blinking in shock, Chrystal once again looked at Shina, who simply had an amused smirk on his face, before Chrystal finally remembered to breathe and she let out a cough. “...oh.”

“No pressure or anything.” Logan shrugged offhandedly, before giving a warm smirk and gesturing to the other chairs in the room. “You don’t have to keep standing or anything. We’re all here for the same reason.”

Smiling at him shyly, Chrystal sank down into one of the chairs and folded her hands on her lap, while Tacita sat on the edge of Kylar’s bed and Shina took a seat near Chrystal but also across from where Logan sat on the other side of the small room, near the table of his paperwork. Tesse went back to her seat as well, putting her hand on Kylar’s shoulder as she sat near him.

“Tacita told us what happened.” Logan nodded, rubbing his thigh with his hand and tapping his foot in thought as he addressed Shina. “And believe me, I’ll be having words with Professor Ozpin later today. You’re not to blame for any of this, son.”

“Aren’t I? I almost got...your son, killed. My friend.” Shina winced and glanced over at Kylar, his face scrunching up slightly before he sighed.

Being quiet for a moment, Logan seemed to be thinking over it contemplatively, sitting back and tilting his head as he considered. After a minute, he nodded slowly as he came to his conclusions. “No, I don’t think you are. You saw an opportunity to solve a problem, and you asked him to do it. And he did it. Kylar’s Semblance is...delicate, and dangerous. Neither you or he had any way of knowing.”

“That feels like a rushed decision then though.” Shina glanced over at Chrystal with a flash of guilt going across his face before he looked back to Logan. “...I really am sorry.”

“...I personally do not believe you have anything to apologise for.” Logan spoke slowly, nodding as if he was agreeing with each individual word as he said it. “However, if it is something _you_ need, for your own sake, then you have our forgiveness. Willingly and without _any_ resentment.”

Looking the older man in the eyes for a few moments, Shina took a deep breath and let it out slowly, seeing the seriousness in his gaze. Something in him unclenched at seeing it and hearing it, and hearing that the man meant it, and so he bit the inside of his lips as he managed to give a short nod. “...thank you sir.”

“Shina, Kylar has told us quite a lot about his time since arriving here.” Tesse spoke up quietly, looking over and catching his eye with a soft look and gentle smile. “And I know my son well enough to know that when he’s said he’s proud to be a part of this team, he means it. He trusts you. And if he trusts you, we’re happy to trust you as well.”

Silently, Shina looked back and forth between Kylar’s parents, both of them making sure to hold his gaze. Logan’s expression was firm and respectful, a confident sharpness in his eyes, while Tesse’s was gentle, and compassionate. Chrystal reached over and took Shina’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, getting his attention, and she nodded at him in reassuring agreement.

When it became clear that Shina had no idea how to reply, Logan decided to relieve the boy of his anxiety by giving a nod and turning back to his paperwork, but he instead grabbed the large tablet scroll he had laid out and began to flick through files on it. “Now, Tacita has told us what she can and given me a copy of the official report, but anything you two can tell me about the breach, your mission, the caves, any detail big or small...it all might be relevant. If you don’t mind?”

Looking at each other as if asking each other for silent confirmation and consent, the two gave the same nod to each other at the same time before looking back to Logan, who had shared a small smile with Tesse when they’d noticed the synchronicity.

“Where would you like me to start, sir?” Shina sat up.

“Right at the beginning. Tacita mentioned you had some sort of conversation with Ozpin?”

“Oh…” Shina hesitated and took a breath, but when both Chrystal and Tacita gave him gentle smiles and reassuring looks, he looked down and nodded. “Okay. Right, well…”

+=+=+

The first thing that Kylar noticed was the pain. It was like there was a layer underneath his skin that was vibrating at such a frequency it was nothing but a billion pins being stuck into him all at once, as his aura still attempted to put itself back together and recharge. Before he even opened his eyes he gasped and coughed, then, gradually and slowly, he opened his eyes to see a room that was nothing but a kaleidoscope of colours.

Though he knew most of the surfaces in the room were white, every small detail around him that had even a slight hue to them seemed so vibrant and rich in colour his eyes could barely process it all, every surface shimmering as if strangely reflective.  
Blinking rapidly a few times, the movement hurting, Kylar looked around at the people in the room without turning his head, managing a small smile as he recognised his mother, who gave him an extremely relieved smile the moment he opened his eyes.

“Hey honey…” She whispered, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair gently. “Welcome back.”

“Hey mum...dad...oh hey guys.” Kylar looked around at the others and gave a small grin, before closing his eyes in a sigh as Tacita giggled and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

With each passing moment more energy returned to him, but the vibrancy of the colours around him didn’t fade, and it hurt to look at any of them for too long, even Tacita’s blue eyes practically glowed in his sight. Groaning, he closed his eyes and sat up a bit further, his muscles protesting but his stubbornness winning out.

“How long was I out?”

“Three days. Round about.” Chrystal said with a shrug, but the relieved smile on her face betrayed her casual demeanor, and he gave her a smile.

“Well, that’s not so bad. Did it work?”

There was a long silence in the room before Shina sighed and rolled his eyes, nodding in frustration. “Yes, it worked. But…” His face fell serious and he looked down, standing and making his way over to the bed. “But it wasn’t worth...I’m sorry, Kylar.”

“...for what?”

“You almost _died_ . You _would_ have died if Weiss hadn’t caught you. I almost...you…” Shina swallowed and managed to look at him, but Kylar gave him as firm a look as he could while being so exhausted, and reached out to clasp his friend’s arm.

“It was a risk...I. I’m okay. And if it worked, it worked. But I uhh...did _not_ expect it to take that much out of me...how hard did I hit the ground?” He blinked, his brain only just registering how tender and sore the right side of his body was, and he looked down at the cast around his arm with a scowl.

“Your arm, your leg, three ribs.” Tacita spoke softly, tracing slow patterns on his left thigh over the blankets with her fingertips distractedly, giving him a worried look. “But your aura is doing good work. It’s just your arm now, another day or so apparently.”

“That’s...ugh.” Kylar shook his head in pained frustration, before finally looking to his father and giving an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. Just a slip.”

Pausing and giving his son a steady look, Logan replaced Tesse’s place at Kylar’s side, sinking down into the chair and giving Kylar a focused and concerned stare, placing his hand on his shoulder and squeezing it slightly. 

“I think we need to talk, son. There...are some things to be said. And your team needs to have a talk with you as well. No time for rest, apparently.”

“Well I’ve had three days sleep.” Kylar winced, before frowning when he realised something felt...different. The strange tingling under his skin had faded but hadn’t stopped, and the colours in the room were _gradually_ dulling but were still too vibrant to be normal.

Logan gave a look to Tesse, and the woman nodded and smiled in understanding before looking at the three others. “Come on, let’s go grab some lunch while they talk, it’s been a _long_ time since I’ve been in Beacon.”

When Chrystal almost went to protest, Tacita gave her a look that had her close her mouth and hesitantly nod in agreement, Tacita leaning down to give Kylar a gentle kiss before standing. “I’m so glad you’re...I…” She faltered, biting her lip. “I watched you fall…”

“I’m okay, love.” Kylar gave her a soft smile. “I’m going to be okay.”

Nodding slowly and emotionally, Tacita took a shaky breath and stepped away, Tesse wrapping an arm around her shoulders to guide her out, Shina giving Kylar and Logan a concerned but resigned look as he stepped out, wanting to say something but having no idea what.  
Instead he was forced to just close the door behind them, leaving Kylar and Logan alone in the room, Kylar’s strength gradually returning to him more and more with each moment.  
Once they were alone in the room, Logan took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he watched Kylar gradually manage to sit up straighter and the strength come back to his face, visible in how the look in his eyes sharpened and focused.

“Dad, I had to try.” Kylar spoke up, shaking his head almost pleadingly as he stared his dad in the eye.

“I know, son.” Nodding in understanding, Logan sat back and templed his hands on his lap, tapping his fingers together. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Kylar gave a smile, before wincing at the bright colours in the room, trying to blink it away and then frowning when it refused to dull. Rubbing his eyes with a sigh, he looked over to his dad. “What’s going on with my eyes?”

Pausing for a moment, Logan closed his eyes and sighed.

“I’ve...often tried to speak to you about your Semblance over the years, even as you kept it private and secret.”

“What’s there to say? We both know what its basic function is, understanding it further is just a matter of practice and study. Of figuring the combinations out. And I’ve been trying, and it’s been working. I’m getting better.” Kylar gave her father a confident nod, placing his hands on his lap and shrugging.

Nodding slowly at his son’s words, Logan tilted his head and considered how to word what he wanted to say. Talking with Logan meant conversations going slowly, as the man carefully considered and contemplated every single word he said before he said it, making sure that he was saying exactly what he believed and thought.

“When my own Semblance awakened, your grandfather dedicated a _lot_ of time and resources trying to find a way to remove it.” Logan spoke slowly with a frown, looking off as if in a memory, and giving a sigh. “He never found a way, of course. He once told me he regretted ever awakening my aura, because it would have spared me.”

Frowning at that, Kylar sat up a bit straighter and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes in thought. They never spoke about his grandfather much. It wasn’t that his grandfather was a bad man, not at all, he had simply just lived through a hard time in history, and even though Kylar had only known the man in the last years of his life he remembered him as very intense but also very...distant.  
The man had simply seen too much over too long a life.  
Kylar opened his mouth to speak for a moment, before closing it again and biting the inside of his lip. His father was being patient, waiting for Kylar to speak with the same patience he always had.  
A patience that Kylar hadn’t inherited.

“I...think I can understand why he’d be scared for you, dad. Considering...” Kylar spoke up quietly, looking at his father with defensive eyes, unsure how it’d go over. He was relieved when Logan simply nodded.

“Of course. The Goroesi’s have been Huntsmen for longer than ‘Huntsman’ was a profession, and he wanted me to continue the legacy. Then I, his only child, awaken with a Semblance that will _always_ make sure I take the damage meant for others. He saw my Semblance as a death warrant.” Logan gave a grim look and took another slow breath, sitting forward slightly and pinning his son with a look. “When he accepted that there was no removing it, he put me through a thousand crucibles to learn how to control it.”

Starting to suspect what his father was getting at, Kylar scowled and looked away, narrowing his eyes into a glare that he pinned at the sheets of his bed. Despite the similarities, he wanted to convince himself that it was different. And in a lot of ways, it was. While his father magnetically attracted the effects of activated dust, whether it be the smoke from red dust fire, or...dust bullets, it was different for him. Kylar could _control_ dust, could manipulate it, could learn to understand it on such an integral and intimate level that he truly believed that he could completely redefine the way the kingdoms understood dust itself.

It would just take time, study, and trial and error.  
It wasn’t a death sentence. It was…  
It was…  
 _His_.

“This was one slip-up, dad. The first time it’s ever even approached that point.”

“It only needs to _be_ the one. But I do see why you would have that position, considering your growing mastery of it.” Logan tilted his head in understanding, while also disagreeing. Pursing his lips for a moment, he nodded at Kylar.

“Son, your Semblance...has the potential to change the world.”

Jolting in surprise, Kylar immediately looked back to his dad with a wide-eyed frown. It was completely unlike his father to say things on such extremes, so he narrowed his eyes almost suspiciously. “...dad?...”

“It’s true. You alchemically transmutate dust, which is one of the key building blocks of how our entire civilisation operates. The sheer amount of dust within the planet itself is impossible to quantify, and you can call on it.” Logan pinned Kylar with a stern look to make sure that Kylar listened to every word and didn’t look away, slipping into a firm voice that he rarely used unless it was vitally important. “But the stronger the Semblance, the higher the cost. It’s always an equal price. Think.”

“I’m not…” Kylar almost went to object, but he cut himself off when he thought over it more, thinking over all the Semblances that he knew of. Tacita’s Semblance gave her unrivalled perception and awareness, but she was constantly overwhelmed to the point of pain. Shina could make himself more and more powerful, but it damaged him more and more equally.

An exception was Chrystal, but...Kylar had to admit they didn’t know much about her Semblance yet, apart from the basics.  
Yang Xiao Long was a perfect example, actively having to take damage just to activate it in the first place. Kirian from Team SPKZ had perfect recall, remembering every moment of his life since the moment it awakened, but in exchange he was also forced to experience the emotions and sensations from those moments as well, including physical pain when he thought about it.

Every Semblance had an equal cost.

It was one of the key laws of the universe, and seemingly not just of physics or the theoretical studies of alchemy which he based his Semblance training off of;  
Every action has an equal opposite reaction, and the amount of energy is always constant.  
Equivalent exchange. The realisation almost made him want to laugh at the irony. The philosophies of it all had been something he’d never taken much of an interest in, deciding it wasn’t as important as the actual studies and practices themselves. But his mother _had_ purchased as many books about it as possible.

Books he hadn’t read.

Looking down in a strange mixture of guilt and confusion, he nodded slowly as he tried to understand. “I...so you’re saying what happened to me was…”

“Inevitable? Perhaps. Only _you_ can know the cost of what you transmutate.” Logan tapped his fingers together silently, content to let his son think slowly and reply haltingly. 

He knew that Kylar was incredibly intelligent, but he was young, and arrogant, and it blinded him. It’s always blinding, and Logan knew that if he didn’t grow out of it soon it truly could endanger his life.

And the last thing he wanted was for a way he felt he failed as a father, to be what took his son from the world.

“Kylar…” Logan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “When you impose your will on dust to change it, when you use your Semblance to make dust obey your will, you pay for that power by giving up proportional amounts of aura.”

“Yeah...I know. That was one of the first things we figured out.” Kylar raised an eyebrow, before blinking at Logan’s next question.

“So did you ever wonder why creating a ball of lightning takes less of your aura than a ball of fire the same size? That breaks the rules of your Semblance, doesn’t it? That’s not an equivalent exchange, so why is that the case?”

“I…” Kylar stumbled mentally as he thought over it. Because his father was right. Lightning dust was unbelievably easy to use in massive quantities compared to something such as red dust or brown dust. But...that didn’t make any sense. “I don’t…

Nodding as he watched his son’s increasingly confused and stressed expression, Logan shuffled in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting until Kylar eventually looked over at him with confused eyes.

“How does it work then?”

“Well, which do you prefer using?”

“Lightning, of course. It’s the easiest to use, and it’s the most versatile.” Kylar shrugged, the answer easy, before he fell back into a confused slump when Logan nodded at him with raised eyebrows and gestured with a wave of his hand.

“And you knew the boulder was going to be near impossible and could break you if you got it wrong?” Logan asked the question matter of factly, without any particular inflection, and was giving the same curious and contemplative look that he’d worn the entire conversation.

Frowning as he thought over it, Kylar looked down at the blankets. It was true. Even as he’d been absorbing the dust he’d known how monumental of a task it was going to be. Four dusts was his upper limit, especially with hardlight and gravity being among them, it was a miracle he’d managed it at all and that was before he sealed his aura inside of it and held it intact. The moment Shina had asked him, he’d known what it could take out of him.  
But he did it anyway, of course he did. He’d managed it, closed the breach, and...almost died for it.

“...yeah. Four dusts? I can barely do that when I’m at my best, let alone when I’ve been fighting for over an hour.”

“Now think about if you’d only had to use lightning dust to create a ball of lightning the same size.”

Blinking for a moment, Kylar tilted his head as he considered it, reaching into his Semblance to almost get a _feel_ for what it would require. In the way it always did, he felt tingles go through his mind as the process of what it would take to do it internally went through him almost like a trial run, and he was able to get a feel of just how much aura it would take.

The boulder had been a massive undertaking, so the aura cost had been practically soul-breaking, but doing the same thing with lightning didn’t...feel like it would be as much.

But that didn’t make sense. Different dusts didn’t have different costs and ‘worth’, that would throw off the entire balance, so a ball made entirely of lightning dust couldn’t cost any less than a boulder made of four others.

How was electric dust cheaper than earth?

Kylar breathed out, putting his head in his hands and groaning through his fingers in frustration at himself. “I don’t understand. I don’t fucking get it, dad.”

Wiping his hands down his face, he let out a slow sigh and shook his head in no small part of self-judgement as he opened his eyes, and looked over to where his father was watching him with the same thoughtful and open look on his face.

“Language. But more importantly, where are you lost?” Logan tilted his head, raising an eyebrow in admonishment when Kylar shot him a quick withering glare for being told off. Giving a small smirk to his son, he still waited patiently.

“Semblances have a cost equal to their benefit. But...I don’t know which part I pay the cost for. Is it the amount of dust, or the complexity, or both?”

“Well…” Logan tapped his templed fingers together and gave a contemplative frown. “Maybe neither.”

“How could it be _neither_? Those are the only two components!” Kylar sat up and raised his voice slightly in exasperation, before looking down apologetically when Logan raised an eyebrow.

“No they aren’t. There’s _you_.” Logan said simply. “You once mentioned that different dusts make you feel different ways, each dust touching a different part of who you are.”

“...so? Of course. It’s a basic philosophical concept, each dust representing a different part of the soul. I did read _that_ book.” Kylar scowled, rolling his eyes, and getting another admonishing eyebrow from his father.

“Then I guess some parts of you need work.”

Blinking in surprise at how simply and bluntly his father basically insulted him, Kylar blanched wordlessly for a moment. “Huh??”

“Electricity dust is your favourite, because it touches your motivation and ambition, which have always been who you are. You hate earth dust, because it tempers patience and self-awareness, which you lack.” Logan’s tone of voice was smooth and simple, without any particular intonation in it, which did a lot of work to make it easier for Kylar to hear.

Mulling over it, Kylar sighed and looked down, not understanding.

But, Logan had expected that. There was a lesson hidden inside Kylar’s Semblance, something that Kylar would need. Something that Logan knew he had failed to teach him, and it had always made him ache. Seeing his son like this, he knew that this was the only chance and hope. And his son had to do it himself.

  
  


“I love you, son. Along with Danton, you are my greatest gifts and I could not be more proud of you.” Logan went to stand, and placed his hand on Kylar’s shoulder. “And I wish I could do this for you. But I can’t.”

“I love you too dad. I’m okay. I’m going to be okay.” Kylar frowned, looking away. “Do you _really_ think I can get the hang of this? Or am I going to be someone who never masters their Semblance at all? Can I even do it?”

“Nobody ever _masters_ their Semblance, Kylar. Stop trying to _master_ it, instead focus on _growing_ it. It’s a part of who you are, not a skill to be trained.” Logan gave his son a smile as he made his way over to the door, Kylar’s voice stopping him before he took the handle. His son didn’t understand, not yet.

But he will.

“Still trying to teach me humility, huh?” Kylar scoffed, giving a sigh.

“I don’t have to. The fact you broke half your body, combined with the fact you’re going to have to have a formal meeting with Miss Schnee to thank her, might just do what I’ve failed to do for eighteen years.” Logan gave his son a loving smile when the boy groaned into his hands, before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Unsurprised to see Tesse and the other three out in the waiting room, he gratefully took a sandwich his wife offered him, and he smiled at the other three. “Head on in. I’m sorry for taking so long.”

“Is everything okay?” Tacita stood from her chair and brushed the crumbs from herself, frowning, before sighing in relief when Logan nodded.  
  
“Everything’s okay. It just...took him being stuck in a hospital bed for him to finally listen to me after all these years.” Logan smiled, taking his wife’s hand as the two made their way out of the medical ward, waving goodbye.

Back in his room, Kylar rubbed his eyes again, every colour in the room vibrant as everything. On his bedside table was a vase of flowers found in every room, and the flowers were so vibrant they seemed to glow.  
Unable to resist, he reached out curiously and stroked a finger along a petal.

His aura shimmered.

+=+=+

All of Team SKTC stood around Kylar’s room quietly, Chrystal receiving looks from the other three as she stared at the ground trying to think of how to word what she had to tell them, inflating her cheeks in anxiety before deciding to just...go for it.

“So I did something insanely stupid, insanely illegal, and insanely...insane.” She said bluntly as she looked around at the other three, rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands on the pockets of her jeans. “I fucked up. I think I fucked up _really_ bad.”

Tacita and Shina shot each other a look, meanwhile Kylar merely looked curious, shuffling to be able to sit forward comfortably, resting his still cast arm on his lap. Despite the desire to ask questions himself, he glanced over at Shina for the other boy to take the lead. It was his job, after all.  
Letting out an apprehensive breath, not really actually wanting to open the Pandora’s Box he dreaded he was about to pop the lid off of, Shina looked to Chrystal with a simple sigh.

“What’d you do, Chrysalis?”

“Well, you guys know how on the night of the breach, I had dinner with Petyr?”

“I mean, we didn’t know for _sure_ that’s where you went, but we assumed so yeah.” Shina glanced over at Tacita, who nodded in agreement. “Why…?”

“Uhh...well, he and I were sorta...spitballing about what happened, and then we, well -I-, started to wonder why Atlas never did anything about our report, and so I asked Petyr how it works, and he told me about the-”

“Chrystal?” Shina’s voice was deadpan as he pinned her with his stare, the girl having been rocking side to side slowly as she rambled to try and put off getting to the actual point. “What did you do?”

Pausing, she winced as she looked at each of them one by one.

“Petyr, Cypher and I broke onto the Atlas gunships, stole security footage of the woman who made sure our report was ignored, and then in exchange for her identity I made a deal with Roman Torchwick where he gave me her alias and in exchange we delete the footage and any sign of her existence from the system so that she can’t be traced.”

The other three stared at her in entirely stunned silence for quite a few moments, Shina taking in an extremely deep breath and letting it out in a huff, clicking his tongue as he nodded slowly and processed the words, while Kylar didn’t even make a sound as he put his head into his hands and proceeded to sit incredibly still.  
Tacita hummed as she looked up at the roof, tilting her head as she thought over it, before she glanced over at Shina.

“Well considering I was worried she was going to say Petyr got her pregnant, I actually prefer this reality.”

That was enough to break the tension, and Shina immediately let out a furious growl and turned away, resting his forehead against the nearest wall and closing his eyes, while Kylar’s eyes hardened, the curiosity about the flowers vanished from his mind as he instead dedicated a glare to Chrystal’s guilty face.

“That’s...it...and…oh never mind.” Shina pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, not even looking over at Tacita. He let out another low breath. “Hey Chrystal?”

“...yes Shina?”

“You’re a _fucking_ idiot.” He snarled, still resting his forehead on the wall.

“I know Shina.” Chrystal murmured, looking down and scuffing her shoe on the sterile tiles of the floor, keeping her hands in her pockets.

“See, I _want_ to freak out.” Kylar tilted his head and looked up at the others. “But after the two months we’ve had, I’m just sort of rolling with it at this point. Though that might just be the narcotics.”

“Yes you’re all very witty and hilarious.” Shina groaned, rolling his eyes before sinking down into the nearest chair and leaning his head back onto the wall. “That is the most illegal and insane thing we’ve...Chrystal do you have _any_ idea what you just did? If Atlas finds out, you’re in a cell. For _years_ . And Petyr. And Cypher. You revealed our presence to Torchwick, who has allies we can’t even _begin_ to predict. Chrystal poking a bit is one thing, but _this??_ ”

“I got us a clue. _Something_. We can try and find who… She fucked up everything, she got people killed, guys. I had to know.” She sighed, not looking up from the floor, and her voice wasn’t as confident as it had been the previous times she'd spoken her justification.

“I thought we were meant to be staying out of it, I thought we were meant to be tempering our impulse control.” Shina finally turned from the wall and stepped towards Chrystal, who still refused to meet his gaze. “Isn’t that what you said? Isn’t that what you yelled?”

“I know! I know. I’m sorry.” Chrystal whimpered, swallowing a gulp. “I...I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Pausing for a few moments, Tacita spoke quietly with concern in her voice. “You were in another of your states?”

Sighing, Chrystal nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at the floor. “I hate that I got them involved in this. I should have come to you guys. I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop.”

Tacita sank down onto the edge of Kylar’s bed and looked down at her lap, gripping her own legs in anxious thought as her mind started to fire off and think over it all, Kylar reaching over to rub her back comfortingly as he thought as well.

Nodding to himself, Kylar looked to Chrystal.

“Alright, first, show us the footage.”

Hesitantly pulling her scroll from her pocket, Chrystal pulled up the security footage and held it out for the other three to be able to crowd around and get a look at it, Kylar narrowing his eyes in thought as the woman went into the storeroom and exited as someone else, the conversation with his dad still fresh on his mind.

“Play that back. Can you go frame by frame?”

“Uhh, sure.” Curious at the contemplative look in her friend’s eyes, she swiped the footage back to that point and started going through it frame by frame as Kylar scrutinised every pixel, with Tacita doing the same thing.

Meanwhile Shina was looking at a far wall tapping his hands on his legs as he thought, but Kylar’s breath catching brought his attention back.

Taking Chrystal’s scroll from her, Kylar zoomed in as much as he could, despite the disappointing resolution, and went frame by frame again. He then went back to footage of the girl walking down the corridor towards the storeroom in the first place.

Frowning, Shina looked at the face of his friend, Kylar concentrating intently. “What is it?”

“...She’s not transforming. Look at her shadow when she’s in each disguise. The edges of it.”

Each of them glancing at each other in confusion, they all narrowed their eyes and peered in as Kylar went frame by frame yet again, with Tacita almost immediately sitting back in understanding as her eyes picked it up.

“Of course.”

Chrystal and Shina glanced at each other in a small degree of frustration, before Shina let out a sigh and looked at Kylar and Tacita. “Alright, what are we missing?”

“As an officer, she’s wearing that cap, right?”

“Yeah?...” Shina frowned.

“And as the infantry, she’s wearing that helmet.” Kylar went forward to when she exited the storeroom and gestured to it. Shina and Chrystal nodded again. Deciding to step in and finish off, Tacita tapped the shadow of her, cast on the wall by the typically bright ceiling light.

“So why is the profile of her head the same?”

Raising her eyebrows, Chrystal glanced at Shina and then back at the other two, letting out a slow breath as she put her hands back into her pockets and bit her lip. “She’s using illusions.”

“Pretty damn convincing ones.” Kylar nodded, impressed, as he kept rewatching the footage and fiercely studying every detail, Tacita doing the same thing.

“What’s the name he gave you?” Kylar glanced up at Chrystal, his eyes back to their normal sharp and calculated stare.

“Lieutenant Eris Impa.” Chrystal took her scroll back briefly and tapped through to more files, before handing it back. “Unsurprisingly, she barely exists. But Torchwick slipped that she _bought_ it, so that means there’s a seller.”

“ _That’s_ something. Okay, she’s an ally of Torchwick’s. Enough of one he wants her protected.” Shina crossed his arms and frowned, before glancing over at Chrystal. “You’re still a fucking idiot, even though we’re taking this seriously.”

Nodding in acceptance, Chrystal sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, across from Tacita, with Shina standing at the end of it and leaning on it.

Kylar tapped the fingers of his healthy hand on his cast in thought, frowning.

“When’s our first fight?”

“Five days.” Shina answered without needing a second to think, looking over at everyone with a firm smile, before gesturing to Chrystal’s scroll. “And that’s more important. We have the tournament. And we don’t stand a chance of finding someone whose face we can’t clearly see.”

“He’s right.” Tacita nodded sadly, picking up the scroll and watching the footage yet again. “If that’s the only footage of her there is, we don’t even know her face.”

“We know that she’s an associate of Roman’s.” Chrystal pondered out loud, frowning in thought as she tapped her foot. “She’s got an Aura, and now we can describe a unique Semblance that would make her useful for...well, people like her and Roman. She’s _got_ to have a reputation.”

“What are you thinking?” Shina tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, always a little bit concerned when she got a particular glimmer in her eyes.

“We backtrack Roman, we find the girl. Kylar, your parents mentioned something about them talking to Weiss?” Chrystal looked at the boy, who groaned in frustration.

“It mostly has to be me. It’s a formal thing.”

“Team RWBY knows more about where Roman has been than anyone else I can think of, if anyone can give us a start it’s them.” Chrystal took her scroll back from the bed and slid it into her pocket, nodding to her own train of thought as she began to pace back and forth. “Yang spoke of a short girl on the train that apparently beat the crap out of her. Some high-up henchman of Torchwick’s, and he definitely wanted the information of her wiped to protect her... I’m not a rich girl, but I’d bet money that it's the same girl."

“Okay, so…” Tacita stood up and began to pace as well, putting her hands in front of her mouth as if praying as she spoke. “We know that it was the White Fang on the train, and also at the docks. That’s not Roman’s usual crowd. But the bombs on the train must have required dust, and Torchwick has definitely been stealing enough for things like that. To get it, they’ve been robbing Schnee Dust Company warehouses and shipments. The girl has to have been there at the big ones, right? There’s always a higher up at those things.”

“How would _you_ know that?” Shina raised his eyebrow at her, and Tacita paused for a moment before huffing and looking away.

“It’s what happens in books… But I still think it’s a fair thought.”

The four of them were quiet for a few moments as they all thought over it, each of them thinking over the problem in their own particular way, before Shina growled in frustration and looked up at the ceiling.

“Guys, we _can’t_ do this. We have our first match in _five days_.”

“I know, I know.” Chrystal raised her hands placatingly, her voice reassuring and her eyebrows raised as she stepped in front of him to look into his eyes. “We find out what she looks like without her disguises, and then we follow up _after_ the tournament. If we know what she looks like, we’ll have time. We know she lives in the city so _she_ won’t be going anywhere.”

Looking at her for a few moments as he narrowed his eyes in thought and frustration, Shina ground his jaw and looked away. He knew that he was likely coming across as disinterested, or like he didn’t care. But he did, it _burned_ him. What happened made him feel sick with guilt, and if they could find the girl he’d beat her to the ground himself because of what happened to Kylar as a result of the slaughter she stopped them from preventing.

But they had to have priorities, they’d been working up to the tournament for so long. It was their chance to prove to themselves what they could do, and to prove to themselves just how much they’d come together as a team. It wasn’t just about the fighting.  
It was about the achievement. And it felt like that achievement was more important than one criminal, when they were perfectly able to get the girl afterwards.  
But he also knew his friends.  
They’d never stop.

“Okay. Fine.” Shina nodded, but made sure to give each of them a strong look that brooked no argument. “We get information, but we are _not_ acting on it until after the tournament. We have to focus on that. Deal?”

The others nodded in agreement, Chrystal the most enthusiastic out of them, and Kylar sat up and sighed. When it came to finding the girl, or figuring her out, it just required the basic questions:

Who, what, when, where, why, and how.

‘What’ was taken care of. The girl was a high ranking henchman of Roman Torchwick with a unique Semblance who had infiltrated the Atlas military.

Now it was just about the others.

Frowning as he thought over it, he tapped his fingers on his cast again and let out a curious hum, before glancing around at the others.

“Okay. It’s not really a secret where Torchwick’s boys hang out, so one of us checks out those places and sees where that leads us. I’ll talk to Weiss and see if she’ll agree to help by giving information about the robberies. Torchwick has been hiring help, so...one of us goes and follows _that_ up, I guess.”

“Dibs. I know the guy.” Chrystal raised her fingers casually, getting a shocked and suspicious look from the others that she shrugged off. “What? I know his club.”

“Ooookay then.” Kylar raised his eyebrows and shrugged to accept it, before continuing. “And finally, the White Fang is still a lead. The last of us goes on them.”

Kylar looked to Shina with raised eyebrows, waiting for their team leader’s opinions, and the boy in question sighed and leaned against the nearest wall, rubbing his hands over his face and shaking his head on exhaustion. This was exactly what he had told himself they wouldn’t do anymore.  
Turning around to gently place his forehead against the wall, he sighed loudly, glaring over his shoulder when he heard Chrystal snicker and pinning the girl with a withering stare that had her smirk but still look away to let him brood.

It was just information gathering, nothing more than that. They had four days until the tournament began, and their own fight wasn’t until the day after that. Get actionable information that they could compile together, win the tournament, get revenge and justice at the same time.  
Absolutely not stressful at all.

“Fuck.” He straightened up and turned to face the others, before shrugging in helpless frustration and acceptance. “Fine. Okay. Chrystal, go to your contact when it’s safe. Kylar, organise the meeting with Weiss. I’ll go check on Torchwick’s gang. And I guess that means that you’re checking out the White Fang, Tacita.”

The three of them looked around at each other initially with determined smiles that gradually morphed into serious and concerned frowns, each of them looking away as the anxiety of what they were considering began to grow. Shina crossed his arms and watched as the implications of what they were considering went over the faces of his friends.

Find the girl, win the tournament.

No problem.

+=+=+

With only four days left until the tournament began, there were constant last-minute preparations to do as the final groups from each kingdom arrived in the city to observe. While all the students had already arrived, there were city officials from the other capitals that had made the trip to observe what the other kingdoms were capable of, it being an important part of what the tournament stood for in the first place.  
It meant a lot of organisation, and the logistics of the tournament itself were exhausting, the meetings and arguments constant with Ironwood seeming to disagree with almost every decision that Ozpin made.

As soon as the Vale council had given Ironwood the authority to oversee the security for the tournament, everything the man had wanted to do had happened. Atlesian Knights were on the city streets, airjets were in the air constantly, and there had even been displays of Mantle’s new Paladin mechs. While there had been a noticeable drop in crime since the street patrols had begun, it had put a nervous energy in the air, which is what Ozpin had predicted would be the case since the beginning.

But he’d been overruled.

Waist-deep in administrative work to do, Ozpin frowned and looked up when he heard the elevator to his office arrive and the doors open. Normally these days it was either Ironwood or Glynda, but both were already in the room with him, so he sat up slightly in preparation for whatever new problem was about to be placed on his desk for him to deal with only for his breath to catch in surprise when Logan Goroesi entered his office, Tesse Goroesi right behind him.

Smiling, Ozpin stood and made his way over, meeting the pair halfway across the room. “Logan, Tesse. I’d forgotten you were due today. It’s good to see you again.”

“You too Oz.” Logan shook the man’s hand warmly, placing his other hand on Ozpin’s shoulder and giving it a welcome squeeze. “It’s good to see you.”

As Tesse greeted Ozpin as well, going in for a quick and informal hug instead of a handshake, Logan turned to Glynda and gave a smile. “Glynda, it’s good to see you. If you could actually age a day like the rest of us have to it would do wonders for my self-esteem.”

“You’re too much of a charmer, Logan.” Glynda smiled and stepped forward to embrace him lightly before letting him go and turning to Tesse. “Tesse sweetheart, you look wonderful.”

“So do you. Still in charge of stopping Oz from doing anything too stupid?” Tesse hugged Glynda tightly, the woman squeezing her back.

“Still trying. Still failing.”

As the women spoke between each other for a few moments, Logan stepped to Ironwood and gave a polite but cool-eyed smile, the two of them meeting each other's gaze as if calculating each other for a few moments before Logan extended his hand. “James. It’s been a few years now.”

“Logan, you look well. You’re here to watch your son?” The General shook his hand firmly, but the shake had no warmth or familiarity in it. The two men hadn’t departed on the best of terms, and Ironwood could see in Logan’s eyes that it was still there.

“Sadly I’ll only be able to see his first match. But that should be more than enough to see just how much he’s grown.” Logan nodded, stepping away and moving back to being in front of Ozpin’s desk.

When Ozpin welcomingly gestured to the numerous chairs in the office, Tesse sank down into one relaxedly and crossed one leg over the other, sitting back and relaxing, meanwhile Logan remained standing and tapping his fingers on his arms as he crossed them, glancing around at the other three figures in the room.  
There was a strange tension in the room in the moment before he spoke, Ozpin watching him with a welcoming smile but a guarded wall behind his eyes, meanwhile Ironwood and Glynda were actively working to appear nonchalant and relaxed. The last time the two Goroesi’s had been in this office at the same time, they hadn’t been married yet, and they’d been grotesquely wounded and beaten down, barely out of the hospital.

That had been nineteen years ago, and the two of them had been very different people. All _five_ of them had been very different people. In fact Ironwood wasn’t even in on the secret back in those days, and Glynda was a fresh face in it, having only been a relatively recent graduate from the academy herself, barely a handful of years older than the other two.  
They’d all seen each other since then, of course. Only a month later.

At Joran Blackfyre and Zara Krinn’s funerals.

Along with other formal occasions, emergency meetings where Ozpin had felt the need to speak with everyone who was in on the secret with recent developments, or bringing them in to try and get them back into the fight or get their help in one way or another at all, the two of them had stayed away. There had been times Logan had relented, but only when it came to the resources at his command.  
Meanwhile Tesse had made it clear she’d never be a part of any of it again.

So the atmosphere in the room was cold and jagged in the few moments before Logan spoke to break the silence, his eyes on Ozpin.

“What are you planning for my son, Oz?”

Sighing, Ozpin sank back down into his desk chair and templed his hands in front of his face in thought, trying to think of how best to answer. This was going to have to be a delicate conversation, especially with Tesse in the room.

“We are living in increasingly active times, Logan. But every year there are students that show more and more potential, and many have the potential to be able to help, have the potential to handle the truth and fight the true fight”

“And you’ve chosen my son and his friends.” Logan narrowed his eyes, keeping his voice cold and not _quite_ accusational, but very close. “He’s only just started his second year, and you’re starting to groom him already. Starting to nurture him, just like you did with the Branwens.”

“No, Logan. I won’t force him. I won’t force _any_ of them. You know as well as I do how much I wish I could keep as many people out of it as possible.” Ozpin sighed, shaking his head and his eyes filled with a degree of sorrow. “But their team shows the potential needed. Along with a few others. Every year I feel more hope in the newer generations.”

“And, you’ve chosen my son and his friends.” Logan repeated bluntly, taking a step closer to the desk but otherwise not changing his posture or expression.

“I believe they have the potential to help, yes. Not just your son, but the other three as well. As a team they have the potential to truly become a marvel. But, not yet. They’re still too young.”

“ _Every_ student here is too young, Oz. You mentioned others?”

“There have been...recent developments.” Ozpin sighed again, sitting back in his chair and drumming his fingers on the armrest of his chair.

The problem with navigating conversation with the Goroesi’s was that Logan was fiercely intelligent meanwhile Tesse could activate her Semblance at any time and he’d no longer have any sort of control over the conversation, but the woman had remained quiet, almost as if to reassure him that she wasn’t going to use it. The three of them hadn’t parted on the best of terms the last time they’d had a conversation like this.

“Amber’s been...hurt. She’s dying.” Oz shook his head sadly, keeping Logan’s stare as the man straightened up further and dropped his arms, closing his eyes sadly.

Logan had only met the young Fall Maiden once, when the girl had only just been working to learn the powers she had inherited only a few weeks prior to their meeting, his Semblance able to make sure she didn’t cause too much damage to her surroundings as her attacks were drawn to him instead.  
But she’d been a sweet girl, aware that she was in over her head, but still optimistic and determined to do the best she could with the burden that had been put on her shoulders.

Looking down and shaking his head for a few moments sadly, Logan looked up. “Do we know who the next Maiden is going to be?”

“We...believe we have a perfect candidate.”

“You’re _picking_ one?” Tesse finally spoke, sitting up straight and frowning intensely.

Nodding, Ozpin looked over at Ironwood for a moment before speaking. “Through means we don’t understand, some of her power was somehow drained from her. But we believe we’ve developed the technology to actively transfer the true source of it to someone else.”

“You’ve been working on how to take control of who passes along the powers.” Logan scoffed, shaking his head in a mixture of frustration and disbelief as he paced over to one of the massive windows and looked out over the secret. “I should have expected that eventually. You can’t leave the natural order alone.”

Looking over at Logan silently, Ozpin tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair again as he took in the man. It had been surprisingly easy to convince Logan about everything that was real. About Salem, about the Maidens, about the Relics. Ozpin had expected it to be a challenge given Logan’s more analytical and logical nature, but there’d been barely any protest or apprehension. Joran, the leader of Team BLAK, had been harder to convince, but the others had talked him around and into helping.

But of the four, the only one who was more of a true believer, had been Zara.  
For a businessman who was part of a legacy built around understanding the world realistically and taking advantage of it, Logan had still quickly believed in the spirituality of what was occurring.

He didn’t believe in destiny. But he believed in chance.

“So which poor girl have you picked?” Logan asked with a resigned sigh, still looking out over the city.

“Her name is Pyrrha Nikos, she’s in your son’s year. The best student we’ve seen in...generations. And she has a true heart.”

“My son’s year? That means she’s eighteen, Oz. _Eighteen_ .” Logan spun on his heels to stare at Oz with a frustrated and horrified frown. “Gods, at least you waited until my team was twenty-three before you brought us in. She’s a _kid_.”

“She is. I know she is.” Ozpin nodded, before his face went sad and heavy, and he made a point to glance out over the city and the airships above, to try and bring Logan’s attention to everything that had been going on. “But...we need her. We need a guardian.”

“Kylar and his team told me everything.” Logan nodded quietly as he looked out over the city of Vale. Not to mention the fact that he had access to his own information, despite his years of retirement he still had his own collection of friends and contacts. “We really are in danger, aren’t we. You truly are desperate.”

Stepping forward, Ironwood cut in, nodded resolutely with his hands folded behind his back as he made his way over to stand next to Logan, also looking out over the city with the same beleaguered yet determined focus.

“We are. I don’t like it any more than you do, Logan. But our enemy is in the city. They’re gathering, every day, in every kingdom. If Team SKTC have filled you in, then you know that.”

“Every time we’ve gotten kids involved in this war, they’ve broken, James.” Logan spoke quietly and firmly without looking over at him. “I lost two friends. Team STRQ shattered like glass, last I heard they aren’t even speaking to each other, not since Summer...not since we lost Summer. Team GLWW never came home at all, and they weren’t even twenty-one. How many others?”

Nodding to concede the point, Ironwood looked over at Logan with heavy determination that was weighed down with a mournful steel. The look of an officer who was used to sending men to their deaths but never getting used to it. “I know. But we need them.”

“ _You_ think they’re all good choices that you’re making too, then?”

“I’ve read the same reports, and when I looked their team leader in the eye...he’s got it in him. They all do.” Ironwood nodded, stepping away to make his way over to the center of the room again to resume his pacing. “But before I give any sort of final answer, I’m waiting to see how they handle the tournament. What they’re capable of in a true combat setting.”

“And what about you, Glynda?” Tesse looked over at her friend, who was yet to speak. Glynda was standing in her usual corner with her arms crossed over her chest, having watched the debate with a defensive attentiveness, making sure not to portray any emotion.

Clicking her tongue quietly as she considered it, Glynda thinned her lips. 

“As a team they show great potential, but individually they are _not_ ready. Shina Kamisari is reckless and insecure as a leader, and while he’s easily Ms Nikos’ equal in combat his Semblance is too dangerous for now. Chrystal Wasara is...to put it bluntly she’s _uncontrollable_ and lacks restraint, look at how vicious she was to team CRDL. With all due respect Logan and Tesse, your son is arrogant, presumptuous, and has no interest in communication outside of his team. And finally, Tacita Everweb is unreliable, she shows great promise in every facet of the work she’s inconsistent in how much she applies herself.

As a team, they have great potential, far greater than your own team did. But as students they are _not ready_.”

Nodding at Glynda’s response after listening and taking in each word with a contemplative frown, Tesse leaned forward in her seat and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked to Ozpin. “Ozpin, I respect you so much, so _please_ don’t make me use my Semblance when I ask this; What _are_ your plans for Team SKTC? You wouldn’t be picking them unless you had something specific in mind for them. What do you want from my son and his friends? They’re good kids.”

Pausing as he listened to her question and hesitating at it, Ozpin leaned forward in his seat as well and templed his hands in front of his face again, resting his elbows on the armrests of his chair. Surprising the others, he looked over to Glynda and Ironwood. “I apologise, but would the two of you mind excusing us for this. I believe we are about to discuss...elements...of their history they have sworn me to privacy regarding.”

While Glynda nodded after a hesitant moment, gently placing her hand on Tesse’s shoulder and giving her a look of concern as she walked past, getting a reassuring nod in response, Ironwood instead hesitated, crossing his arms.

“I thought we were done keeping so many secrets, Oz. How many times are you going to lock individual members of us out of the loop?”

“As rarely as possible, but this is a promise I pledged which, as they said at the time…” Ozpin looked to both Tesse and Logan. “Was the last test of their trust in me. I wish to respect that.”

“Come on James, if it’s not Oz that can encourage it, show some trust in Logan and Tesse, yes? They’ll fill us in if it’s important. But give them this for now.” Glynda encouraged softly, tilting her head at Ironwood until the man narrowed his eyes at Oz but then stepped away, the two of them making their way to the office door to leave.

Ironwood turned back to the room, glancing at each of them. “I’ll be on my ship if you need me. Logan, is there any chance we might talk later?”

“...of course, James. I’m in the city for the next four days, I leave the afternoon after the first day’s fights are finished. Apart from dinner tonight, I’m at your disposal.” Logan gave a frown, but nodded, and James nodded back in satisfaction before leaving.

Now that it was just the three of them left in the room, it was silent, Tesse and Logan both going back to staring at Ozpin as the man tried to word his answer as delicately as possible, his eyes thoughtful.

“When I brought the four of you in, back when it was the whole of Team BLAK, I never expected I would end up telling you as much as I did. I underestimated the power of your Semblance, Tesse. But there are still many things I cannot reveal, many of which are for my own safety, so please refrain from using it in this following conversation.”

Thinking over it with a suspicious frown, an expression rarely seen on her face, _any_ negative expression rarely seen on her face, Tesse slowly nodded in agreement, placing her arms on the armrests of her chair and sitting up straighter. “Alright. I can respect that. But, if I sense you are hiding something in regards to the safety of my son, I can’t promise I won’t get it out of you.”

“I can understand your fierce protective compassion for your son, Tesse, but you two have scratched the surface of a dark world. You’ve experienced first hand the dangers we are fighting against, and the strength we need.” Ozpin tilted his head, trying his best to reassure her and convince her, and gave a small smile in gratitude when she gave a miniscule nod.

As silence fell over the room again, Logan began to pace along the room, before stopping in front of Ozpin’s desk. Close enough that they could look into each other’s eyes properly, but not so close it could come across as an attempt at intimidation.

“What are you planning for them, Oz?”

“With the four relics still safely sealed away, there are still things that have gone missing that must be found. While the Summer Maiden is as she usually is, though thankfully trackable, and the Winter Maiden is safe and retired, and the Fall Maiden is...indisposed for now, we have lost track of the Spring Maiden.”

“...lost track?” Tesse raised her eyebrows questioningly, glancing over at Logan and gave a suddenly bewildered huff as she sat back. “She’s run off?”

“We lost contact with her three years ago, but Qrow has found the occasional sign of her presence in the outer territories of Mistral. But we are yet to find her conclusively.”

“And you believe my son and his team can find her?” Logan tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, thinking over it. Aside from the insane amount of danger, it wasn’t actually a totally illogical idea. The four of them were actually well suited for a search mission into rough territory, especially Chrystal’s Semblance for rough terrain and Tacita’s for scouting.  
If they were older, and graduated, they would actually be perfectly equipped for that sort of mission.

“How do we even know it’s the same Maiden? Rowena wasn’t the sort of girl to just...run off into nowhere.” Tesse frowned and looked away in thought. Team BLAK had met each Maiden at least once, and while Rowena had been barely more than a kid, fifteen years old from Haven academy, she was a compassionate and faithful girl.  
If Tesse was honest, Tacita almost reminded her of Rowena at times, with her aloof compassion and soft demeanour.

Nodding in agreement as if he’d had the same thought on numerous occasions, Ozpin hummed in consideration. “It’s a true point, and a worrying one if a new Maiden has been chosen but hasn’t come forward. It’s why I believe your son’s team can do it. With Kylar’s growing attunement to dust, and the abilities of Tacita’s Semblance expanding, they could track the power source and not the Maiden herself.“

“So _that’s_ your plan for them? You just...simply want them to search for the Spring Maiden and either just keep an eye on her or try and bring her into the fold?” Logan asked with raised eyebrows, crossing his arms and humming in thought when Ozpin nodded.

Meanwhile Tesse, watching Ozpin intently, narrowed her eyes and let out a slow breath as she caught a thousand things going through Ozpin’s posture. She’d never been much of a fighter, in fact she had little place out in the field at all, but one thing that she _did_ have that made her invaluable on gathering intel was her Semblance. And something in her mind was itching. So in a rare moment of seriousness, she focused, reaching into her aura for a brief moment. “Ozpin?”

When Ozpin looked at her, he flinched as he saw the telltale glimmer in the woman’s eyes, and almost went to object to cut her off, but she spoke.

 _“_ I’m sorry, but. **_What are your plans for my son’s team?”_ **

Flinching and trying to hide it, Ozpin sat up straight and took a few rapid breaths, feeling her Semblance sink into his body and his head as he looked between Logan and Tesse, suddenly feeling very small and exposed in the way everyone did when Tesse used her Semblance. He tried to hold his breath, even knowing it wouldn’t work, before answering in the same calm and collected voice he always did.

“ _Once they locate the Spring Maiden, I intend on sending them on the same search your own team performed_.”

Taking barely a moment to process, Logan slammed his hand down on the desk and glared Ozpin in the eye fiercely. “ **No.** Not a chance, old man. Don’t you _dare_ even think about it. _That_ ambition ends today. Right now.”

“It is only a _possibility_ of a plan once the Spring Maiden is located, for all we know it won’t be necessary after that point.” Ozpin said calmly and placatingly, the exposing and strangely vulnerable feeling of Tesse’s semblance fading from his body and mind as she clearly turned it off to give him composure back.

“You know just as well as we do what it cost us to even get _close_ to finding it. We searched for _years_ . And then, even after my friends were in the ground, what was _left_ of Jorah anyway, you still refused to tell us why we were sent to look for it in the first place.” Logan continued, glaring down at Ozpin fiercely.

“I believe you can both assume that I will have to continue searching for the Domain Of Light. We don’t know the uses it might have in the battles ahead, especially as Salem continues to use the Domain Of Darkness to conjure her armies of Grimm, armies which are growing stronger and more evolved with every passing century.” Ozpin sat back, but made sure to keep Logan’s gaze without flinching or bending under it.

“Oz, we _tore_ Remnant _apart_ looking for those waters. And we found _nothing_ . And the moment Salem somehow figured out what we were doing, she dedicated _everything_ to tearing us apart. I remember far too vividly and I will not allow you to condemn my son and his friends to the same fate.” Logan raised his voice slightly, resting both of his hands on Ozpin’s desk and glaring at the man.

“Logan…” Ozpin said quietly, not at all intimidated under the man’s glare, instead giving him a look that was both sympathetic and determined, a surrender to a fate that he felt was entirely on his shoulders. “Giving up the search will not bring Joran and Zara back. But if we give up the hope, it _would_ make their sacrifice mean nothing.”

“ **_Don’t_ **. Don’t you dare.” Logan shook his head and stepped back, turning away and going back to the window, crossing his arms. “Don’t try that tactic. I may not carry a weapon anymore, but I can beat you so hard you reincarnate.”

“If it is the Domain Of Darkness that creates the Grimm and allows them to evolve, it is reasonable to believe that it’s opposite could have the power to destroy them. To end this.” Ozpin said quietly but firmly.

“We don’t even know for sure if it _exists_ , Oz.” Logan shook his head without looking over at the man. “You told us these gods were real, but apart from the relics...that’s all we’ve ever had to go on. We don’t even know if the pools of Grimm are even the ‘Domain Of Darkness’ you think it is. I can accept that _one_ story is true, Oz. But...that one is bullshit.”

“...perhaps so.” Oz spoke quietly, templing his hands in front of his face again, looking down at his desk as he thought. There was just so much he couldn’t say, so many things he had to keep to himself, and it was a weight that grew heavier every time he had to swallow it down. “But we know the relics are real, and the Maidens. And we need the Spring Maiden. That is my primary hope for your son and his team.”

“Oz…” Tesse sighed, getting his attention as she leaned forward in her chair and put her face into her hands dejectedly. “They’re kids.”

“So were we…” Logan said quietly, looking out over the academy below, thinking over it all and closing his eyes. “They always are.”

His son and his team couldn’t stop. They _wouldn’t_ stop. And Logan knew that. Every chance they had gotten so far to try and do the right thing and they’d taken it, orders be damned. Safety be damned. It was just how they were. Once they graduated, they wouldn’t be content walking around destroying Grimm. Team BLAK hadn’t been, they’d started poking around even without Ozpin’s prompting, to the point that Oz had called them in to tell them the truth just to be able to temper them and guide them in the right directions with help.

Logan looked over at his wife and gave a resigned smile. “If they’re not giving something to aim for, they’re going to accidentally stumble into it anyway.”

“You’re genuinely surrendering to this??” Tesse’s eyes widened and she stood, marching over to her husband and standing right in front of him, looking into his eyes. “Logan, they’re-”

“I know. I know. But Ozpin’s right, the Spring Maiden has to be found. But, it can wait three more years until they graduate.” Logan shot a look over to Ozpin, who nodded in agreement.

It had been the plan anyway, Ozpin had no intention of sending students off into war, with the unfortunate but necessary exception of Ms Nikos taking on the powers of the Fall Maiden. But even then, she would be trained. They could buy three years until they were all ready, and it would be three years for him to make sure they were all the right choices anyway. Their enemies were gathering, so they had to gather more allies onto their side as well.  
But for now, Glynda was right, each of them had a lot of ways they needed to grow up. When it came time, when they finished their training, it was very likely that Ozpin would need their help in finding their lost maiden if she hadn't reappeared by then.

“Three years.” Ozpin nodded with a promise, making sure to look between the two of them with an earnest and determined expression. “I had no intention of rushing them into this.”

“And they’re _not_ searching for those damn pools, Oz. They don’t exist. It’s a legend, even more of one than the Maidens were.” Logan stepped over and crossed his arms, his eyes going serious. “Ozpin, you’ve been looking for them for centuries. Our team wasn’t the first to fail, on your orders. I won’t let you sacrifice my son searching for a story.”

“...for all we know, in three years everything will have changed and we may not need them anymore.” Ozpin kept his voice in the same slow and calm tone he always did. “I believe the search for the Maiden will occupy their time enough, regardless.”

It was the closest thing to a compromise that they both knew they stood any chance of getting, staring each other down without hostility but with determination. That was the closest way that Ozpin could word that he intended on asking eventually, but he was promising that sending them to look for the Maiden was a far higher priority and he would try not to _have_ to ask.  
It was all Logan and Tesse were going to get, so Logan nodded.

“...so do I. Get them ready, Ozpin. Train them until they threaten to break. Because you getting my son killed, when you could have done something further, is enough to encourage me to kill this body of yours and force you to reincarnate.”

Staring at each other for a few more moments, each of their expressions hardening as Ozpin gradually took Logan’s threat more and more seriously, Ozpin nodded.

“This academy will not fail them, Logan. It never has.”

Continuing the look for a few more moments before breaking it off, Ozpin raised an eyebrow when one of the monitors on his desk blipped on and an alert popped up. He sighed. “The council is being summoned. It appears that they know you’re here and want to catch you while they have the chance.”

“I was expecting it.” Logan nodded, pulling his scroll from his pocket and noticing he had a similar notification, inviting him to speak with the council in regards to altering some of the current trade deals he was involved in. “Let’s get to it, I suppose.”

As the two men turned to one of the larger walls in the office and it flickered into a monitor for them to talk to the council, Tesse quickly backed off, wanting nothing to do with it. While she had a decent head for business, and understood the family corporation, it was the one part of being with Logan that she had dreaded marrying into.  
Giving the two men a quick wave goodbye, she stepped out of the office to make her way down.

Pondering what to do with her free time, she tilted her head with a smile. She had plenty of friends she could catch up with.

Perhaps Peter would be up for a visit.

+=+=+

The sun was just beneath the horizon when Delilah found herself once again summoned to Cinder’s room. The bags were heavy under her eyes from far too many sleepless nights spent in the lab, now that they were able to retrieve the bodies of the White Fang that had perished in the tunnels there was no shortage of experiment subjects. And they were making incredible progress.

But they were out of time.

Knocking on the dormroom door, she made sure her face was impassive when Mercury opened it and moved aside to let her in. Stepping past him without a glance, she looked around at the three other people in the room.  
Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and the incredibly rare sight of Neo, each of them looking to have been in deep discussion before she arrived.  
When the door clicked closed behind her, she gave a small smile and folded her hands behind her back.

While Cinder merely raised an eyebrow and went to start speaking, Emerald shared a glance with Mercury, trying to hide the discomfort she felt. Delilah looked different. It wasn’t incredibly obvious, but the signs were there, and not just the simple signs of exhaustion.  
Her skin was slightly paler, and slightly smoother looking. The few freckles she’d once had were now gone, and her raven-black hair was now _unnaturally_ black, barely even reflecting the light that was hitting it.

Combined, they made her look unnatural. She still looked like a _person_ , absolutely, but there were just enough smaller details adding up that she was unnerving to look at.  
And that was before you looked at her eyes. What had been beautiful and rich emerald green irises now looked almost sickly and toxic, with the small veins in her iris now more pronounced, and black, making the green of her eyes look distorted.

Delilah was a beautiful woman, that wasn’t up for any sort of negotiation as far as Emerald was concerned, but now?  
Even though she was trying her best to remain impassive, she couldn’t help it; she shivered.

Seeming to catch the movement out of the corner of her eye, Delilah’s eyes flicked over to her and flashed to acknowledge it, and Emerald wasn’t sure if it was meant to be reassuring, or was _amused_. It had only been the first bare moments, and Emerald snapped back to herself when she heard Cinder speak.

“Delilah, dear. You look like you’ve been working hard. Progress?”

“Progress.” Delilah said simply, giving a small smile. “Seven days, yes?”

“Still seven days. You’re running out of time, Delilah. I’m disappointed. Will there be results in time for the fun to start?”

“Hard to say.” Her face was still cold and impassive, and Emerald noticed that the girl was...completely still. No twitches, no flinches, no shuffling or shifting like a normal person does. It was like she was a statue.

“Make it easier to say. We need to know what we’re working with, don’t we?” Cinder raised an eyebrow and titled her head, sitting up from where she’d been laying on her bed.

Almost as if she didn’t even hear her, Delilah looked to Neo and gave a small smile to the mute girl, who’d been watching with a smirk. “Are there still bodies left to collect in the tunnels? Ones that the authorities won’t notice if they vanish?”

Seeming to think over it for a moment, tilting her head and putting her finger on her chin to tap it, Neo gave a short shake of her head, a small apologetic glimmer appearing in her eyes for a moment before she sat back again. Delilah’s expression didn’t change as she immediately nodded.

“I’m going to need some more bodies.”

“What are you even doing with them??” Mercury scoffed, looking at the girl with scrunched eyebrows in bemusement, crossing his arms.”

Looking at him for a few moments, Delilah glanced to Cinder. “They don’t know?”

“Compartmentalisation, dear.” Smiling, Cinder looked at each individual person in the small room, making sure they each met her gaze. “You each have your jobs. And I trust you each to do them.”

Emerald immediately nodded and looked down. Frankly she didn’t _want_ to know what Delilah had been doing with the bodies, and truth be told she wasn’t entirely sure that _any_ of them knew what was being done with them. Meanwhile Mercury raised his eyebrows in continued curiosity before Cinder pinned him with her gaze long enough he shrugged it off.

And Neo didn’t look particularly interested in the first place.

“Team CULD aren’t going to be competing, it would cut into my time.” Delilah spoke, content for the subject to be over, and Cinder raised her eyebrows.

“You failed to convince your leader, then?”

“The plan doesn’t need us in the running. I can take care of the other three myself when things begin.”

Raising her eyebrows, Cinder considered the other girl for a few moments in concealed surprise, her hands folded on her lap.

“Wow.” Mercury nodded, impressed, before shooting Delilah an amused look with a raised eyebrow. “That’s pretty cold-hearted, even for an already icy bitch like you. No love lost there, then?”

Pausing for a moment, Delilah properly turned to where Mercury was leaning against the door, and she took the half step it took to close the distance between them. She lowered her voice to barely above a whisper and let her face split into a small smile.

“I love those three girls more than anything. Well…” reaching out slowly with a finger, she placed it on Mercury’s chest, the boy strangely frozen in her gaze and unable to even blink as she reached towards him. The moment he felt contact, his insides clenched unnaturally and painfully, as if squeezed. “... _almost_ anything. _You_ may be here for fun, which is frankly a bit sad, but what I’m getting is worth _so_ much more than three friends.”

Watching as Mercury’s skin visibly seemed to contract and tighten slightly, Emerald sat up straight, and almost went to speak up when Cinder beat her to it.

“Delilah, enough.”

“I can use the time that _would_ be spent fighting if we were competing, on working. My team are noticing my increased absences, but…” Delilah trailed her finger down Mercury’s chest, tightening the flesh under her touch painfully, as she glanced over her shoulder at Cinder. “I guess that’s not exactly going to be a problem, so close. Are there any changes to the schedule I should be aware of?”

“Release him.” Cinder repeated, raising an eyebrow and her eyes flashing with an inner glow as she locked eyes with Delilah, giving her a glare that she always gave when she was serious. But unlike Emerald and Mercury, who would bend under it without more than grumbling on Mercury’s part, Delilah instead met her stare calmly.

Taking her finger from Mercury’s chest, but doing so in such a casual movement that it came across as if releasing him was her own idea, she turned back to Cinder. “Any changes I need to know?”

Standing from the bed, Cinder walked over to the other girl and stared at her, the two of them being of equal enough height that they could lock eyes as a level playing field. Cinder’s eyes still shimmered with her inner power, her gaze admonishing and commanding, meanwhile Delilah’s stare was cold and relaxed, and Emerald could swear that the green colour of her eyes pulsed.

“Do not overstep your place, Delilah. Your prize relies on my good will.”

“So we best make sure that things go off without a hitch and that I’m able to participate at my best. Should I get back to work?” Delilah’s voice was cool, almost cold, but she blinked, and Cinder raised an eyebrow in victory before nodding and stepping away, gesturing her hand in dismissal.

“The timetable is the same. Go.”

Stepping over to the door, Delilah looked over at where Neo was sitting and gave her a smile, raising her eyebrows in request. “If you can get me any more bodies, let me know?”

Nodding, Neo gave her a casual thumbs up, and Delilah smiled slightly wider before her face went cold again, turning back to the door.

As she turned, her eyes landed on a still intimidated Mercury and she glanced him up and down with a strange look in her eye, as if appraising. “You’d make a good candidate, you know. If it wasn’t for your…” She pointedly glanced down at his legs and thinned her lips in disappointment, before sighing. 

Opening the door, she pinned him with her eyes for one more moment, holding his stare until he blinked and looked away. Humming in satisfaction, she stepped out and closed it behind her.

As the door clicked closed, Mercury scowled and stretched his arms, still feeling as if his skin was being gripped, with the strangest feeling of intrusion and violation inside his muscles themselves, meanwhile Emerald stayed frozen in place, staring at where the door had closed.

Humming in satisfaction, Cinder went back to her bed and layed back down onto it, templing her hands in front of her lips as she considered for a few moments, before glancing at the others.

“Oh relax, you three. Complicated plans require complicated allies. She’s no threat.”

“Ma’am, she…” Emerald sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, glancing over at Cinder with wide eyes but not saying any more when Cinder waved her off.

“Even I gotta admit…” Mercury straightened his jacket with the same scowl, swallowing the lump in his gut. “I wasn’t expecting us to recruit anyone like that once we got here. That _hurt_. She’s a whole other animal from a thug like Torchwick, no offense intended Tiny.”

Neo glared at him and her eyes briefly changed to mimic Delilah’s, before she merely shrugged and looked to Cinder, raising her eyebrows in question as to why _she_ was there.

“You’ve been keeping a bit of an eye on Team SKTC, yes? Anything to report?” Cinder asked curiously, and raised her eyebrow when Neo tapped out a message on her scroll and showed it.

_‘They train a lot. They’re good. And the Goroesi is awake, with his parents in town. But I -have- been a little busy dealing with the warehouses.’_

Humming in thought, Cinder passed the scroll back to Neo who quickly showed it to Emerald and Mercury so that they were all on the same page. “It’s not as if them sticking their noses in could stop anything now, it’s far too late. Very well. The supplies are the priority, so focus on those. Just be sure to be at the arena in five days for our match.”

Standing up, Neo gave a mock salute and a nod before snatching up her parasol and hooking it onto her belt, adjusting her illusion to go back to her student appearance and making sure it was no longer visible, before leaving the room without glancing back.

“The two of you are free to leave as well. Keep an eye out for anything troublesome, gather intel, and simply enjoy the final days of Beacon Academy.” Cinder smirked over at them, getting a smirk and wave from Mercury as the boy left, meanwhile Emerald paused in the doorway.

“Ma’am, I’ve been meaning to ask.” Emerald hesitated, tapping her fingers on the door nervously as she looked back at Cinder, who simply raised her eyebrows. “What are we doing with Delilah once this is done? Is she one of us now?”

“Oh Emerald. There’s no ‘us’.” Cinder chuckled, shaking her head dismissively as she went back to her own work on her scroll. “Our queen has decided she’s more valuable than you or Mercury could ever hope to be.”

“...understood, ma’am.” Emerald cast her eyes down, and closed the door.

As students across the school scattered and began their nightly routines, the sun truly finished setting, eventually crossing over past midnight.

Three days left until the tournament.

+=+=+


	12. Three Days Left Until The Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Each member of Team SKTC have their own mission, and in order to complete hers Chrystal is forced to make another decision that could put everything on the line. With time racing forwards and Delilah and Cinder's plan coming closer and closer to fruition, it's a race against the clock, and the thread they've decided to follow will lead them down a road they'll wish they could come back from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Body Horror, Necromancy, really just a lot of gross dead body stuff. It's Delilah.

Wincing with discomfort as the cast was cut away, Kylar stretched his fingers experimentally and bent his arm to test the mobility of it, satisfied when it responded well. It would take another few days for full mobility to return, but it would likely be back to full strength by the time of their first match, but even if it wasn’t healed entirely it wasn’t like he did a lot of close combat anyway, so it should be fine.

Tacita disagreed with that opinion, hesitant about him entering combat weakened in any way at all, but an exasperated look with raised eyebrows had been enough to reduce her to simply grumbling instead of outright scolding him.

Sitting up from his bed with his legs hanging off the side, he groaned as he stood to his feet for the first time in days, grunting in sore exertion as he made his way into the small bathroom attached to his room to look in the mirror, Tacita and Shina waiting outside for him. Close to lunchtime, Chrystal had already ducked down into town to try and catch her contact during the day when business was slow and he’d have time to talk, so it was just the three of them.  
Technically they were meant to be in class, but the teams competing in the tournament had a bit of leniency in the days leading up to it. Pulling off the hospital gown he’d been dressed in, he checked the wounds from the cuts and slices down the sides of his body. The larger ones had been sealed by his aura, and scars remained with a faint green shimmering on the fresh closed skin as a result of his aura doing most of the work. Sighing as he looked at them, he shook his head in frustration as he began the process of putting on his proper clothes.

Well, he had his first proper scars, making him the second person on the team to receive any, with Shina unsurprisingly being first. Movement was still a bit stiff in his left leg as well, but he managed to pull on his normal trousers and buckle the belt easily enough. The reflective green shimmer would remain on the scars forever. While Shina found the golden glimmer on his own scars to be cool, Kylar was frustrated at the idea.

Nothing to do about it, though. So Kylar gave the other two a half-smile as he stepped back out of the bathroom.

“How bad are they?” Shina asked, frowning.

Kylar sighed and winced, knowing his answer would likely cause a fresh wave of guilt through his friend, but he didn’t want to lie either.

“Pretty bad. But they healed well and that’s what matters.”

Silent for a moment, Shina nodded in acceptance, while Tacita blatantly stepped forward to raise Kylar’s shirt and study them herself, frowning sadly as she took them in, gently running a finger along the largest of them, which was a long gash along his ribs from the rubble upon landing.  
Shina sucked in a breath as he saw them, but he dismissed it just as quickly, instead putting on a smirk.

“They do actually look pretty good on you.”

“Agreed.” Tacita grinned, raising an eyebrow as she straightened back up and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. “Well done, you’re the second one of us.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” Kylar laughed as he gestured towards the door with his head, Shina opening it and leading the way out.

Kylar had been giving clearance to leave by breakfast time, and his parents apparently had business out in the city with the General, so the day was theirs to do with as they wished. Making their way back to their dorm, Kylar immediately snatched up Myriadisca and sat on his bed to check over his staff and make sure it didn’t receive too much damage in the fall.  
Apart from a few damaged gears which could be easily replaced and repaired in an hour, there was nothing substantial. It was just pure luck that the dust inside hadn’t detonated on impact and obliterated the entire thing. While Kylar still had the blueprints for it, rebuilding it from scratch would cost a fortune in components and take an ungodly amount of delicate hours in the academy workshop. So it was a true relief for it to be intact.

“A bit of work and it’ll be back to it’s best.” He nodded to himself, standing to twirl it in his grip slowly and testing the weight. “Alright, so I know what I’ll be off doing, what about you two? Any plans for the day?”

“Not...really.” Shina frowned, glancing over at Tacita. “We might actually attend class.”

“Nothing else to do, and considering we’re meant to be there anyway…” Tacita raised her eyebrows and shrugged, giving a grin as she began to change into her proper school uniform, Shina politely turning away as he began to change as well.

Meanwhile Kylar pulled out his weapon case from under his bed to grab the spare components he’d need, always making sure to have some on-hand for maintenance.

“Well, you’ll know where to find me. Shina, you checking out the warehouses to try and find our mystery girl tonight?”

“I’m hoping so.” The blonde boy nodded as he straightened his tie, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the boring uniform. “Final check-ins for the tournament are tomorrow night though, we’ll need to be at the arena for that, they need to check over our weapons to see if they meet tournament standards.”

“Well, thank the gods I’m doing that now, then.” Kylar closed his weapon case and quickly changed into his own school uniform. “Alright, I’ll see you guys in class later. But until then I’ll be in the workshop.”

“You got it.” Tacita skipped over to give him a soft kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and continuing the kiss for a few moments until she saw Shina roll his eyes with a fond smile behind her and start to make his way towards the door. Pulling back from her boyfriend, she patted him on the chest with her hands and smiled. “Good to have you up and about again, my love.”

“Good to _be_ up and about again.” Kylar nodded and smiled in agreement, kissing her on the forehead softly before snatching up his bag and following Shina out, the trio splitting up with Kylar going one way and the other two heading in another.

+=+=+

Skipping casually down the usual path to Junior’s club, Chrystal hummed to herself in a cheerful mood as she went. Dressed as casually as possible so she wouldn’t put him on edge, while also making sure to keep one of her pistols tucked into her belt underneath what her jumper covered, she wore simple jeans, a black tank top, and a dark green hoodie she’d had for quite a few years that was frayed around the seams and had a silver butterfly embroidered on the back, the work of Shina’s mother when she had tried to learn yet another skill out of boredom when briefly retired young, eventually returning to work.

The butterfly was Chrystal’s unofficial symbol in the same way that a golden wasp was Shina’s, a silver spiderweb with an eye in the center was Tacita’s, and an hourglass wrapped in vines was Kylar’s. When Chrystal and Shina had arrived at Beacon with personal symbols, the other two had playfully come up with their own, Kylar basing his on his family crest.

Now they could easily be found on several items they each had, and Chrystal knew that Tacita had been doodling designs to try and combine them all into a team crest in one of her workbooks, but hadn’t come up with a satisfying result yet.

Yet the silver butterfly was Chrystal’s, found on each one of her favourite clothes, and she’d designed the weapon harness on her back to look almost like butterfly wings when all her weapons were sheathed and holstered, a tiny butterfly engraved into each sword. For some reason it had always stuck with her, and she wasn’t sure why. But butterflies made her feel like the comfort of going home.

The only place it could be found currently was a large embroidery on the back of her hoodie in silver thread, as she skipped her way to the Hunt’s Revelry. Being only just after lunchtime, she knew it would only have opened less than an hour ago and wouldn't be serving anyone yet or playing music, likely still setting up for another busy night. But she reckoned she could sweet-talk her way in, since she knew the bouncers and they knew her. She was right, all it took was a few sweet words after knocking on the door for the man to give her an eye roll and a smile and step to the side for her. Kissing him on the cheek quickly in thanks, she patted the man on the shoulder and stepped inside.

With the coloured dance lights off and only basic ceiling fluorescents on, the club looked entirely different from usual, shadows sitting in different places making it almost look like a warehouse than a club, with metal railings along the ceiling for the coloured lights to hang. Humming in curious and inquisitive thought, she almost forgot what she was there for as she looked around, her hands in the pockets of her hoodie.  
Those of Junior’s gang who worked the club gave her familiar smiles and nods as they moved around getting things ready and cleaning up any remaining messes from the previous night. There weren’t many of them present, which Chrystal was thankful for, and she gave a smile and wave to Melanie Malachite, who gave a playful wave and smile in return as she cleaned the bar.

Skipping her way over, Chrystal leant on the counter.

“The boss here?”

“Up in the office, you know we’re not serving yet right?” Melanie raised an eyebrow and rested an elbow on the counter, her chin on her palm.

“I sadly figured that. But unfortunately I’m here on business anyway.” Chrystal sighed, and Melanie raised a curious eyebrow.

“Oh? You finally going to join us after us begging for so long?”

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered it. But not today.” Chrystal hesitated before saying the words. “I need information.”

Pausing and humming in thought as Melanie straightened up and went back to cleaning, not able to dally any longer with so much to do, she jerked her head towards the Staff Only door in the corner of the building.

“Wouldn’t normally allow it, but head on up since I assume you want privacy.”

“You’re a gem. Love you lots.” Chrystal gave a friendly and playful grin as she stepped behind the bar towards the door.

“I know, I know.” Melanie smirked and winked over her shoulder.

Opening the door, Chrystal made sure to close it behind her before making her way up the stairs to Junior’s office, taking them two at a time as her anxiety grew and her head threatened to go back to the slight fuzziness it was prone to when she was stressed. Growling at herself, she shook her head and focused her thoughts on her objective, pausing with her hand on the office door handle until her thoughts obeyed her again, and she nodded at herself before knocking on the door and waiting.

“Yeah? Come on in.” Junior’s voice sounded on the other side.

Stepping in, she clicked the door closed behind her and quickly flicked her eyes around the office. It was smaller than she would have expected for a man with Junior’s fashionable and expensive sense of style, sparsely furnished with only cabinets, a computer, and a very poorly hidden safe in the corner that she eyeballed in the miniscule moment before Junior noticed her and acknowledged her.

“Chrystal! Come on baby, you know you’re here early.” Junior looked up from where he was typing at the computer and raised his eyebrows, sitting back in his chair. She smiled.

“Breaks my heart that you don’t serve so early in the day. But unfortunately I’m here to talk, not to drink.”

Pausing as he regarded her for a moment, Junior gestured to one of the two chairs on the other side of the desk from him. They’d known each other for a while, and gotten along since the night he first served her and they’d had their first proper conversation. She always paid her tab, though he didn’t ask where she got the money since he knew Kylar Goroesi wasn’t shouting her, and she was a charmer.  
Honestly he’d been asking her to come work for him for six months, ever since she turned eighteen and she’d be allowed to work the bar. And once he’d found out she was a fighter and a bit of a thief, he’d quietly prodded about getting her to work his business in other capacities. She’d always politely declined, though as time had gone on she’d seemed to be leaning into the idea.  
So the idea of her being here on business _intrigued_ him far more than it _worried_ him.

Sinking down into the chair, she gave him a smile as he reached over to a minifridge and tossed her a root beer to catch, grabbing one for himself as well as she popped the cap and took a sip, sighing in enjoyment. Sitting forward in his chair as he opened his own bottle, he raised his eyebrows at the girl.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for a girl.”

“Thought you already had one? Our cute little Cypher.” Junior chuckled, getting a grin and eye-roll from her.

“Nah that finished, got myself a cute boy now. But no, I’m trying to find a troublemaker that I want words with.”

“And you reckon she’s one of mine?”

Shaking her head, Chrystal reached in and grabbed her scroll, swiping to the security footage and sliding her scroll over to him. “She uses the Atlas ID of 'Eris Impala'. We reckon she’s one of Torchwick’s. That's the name we've got, but it's not her real one. If she bought an Atlas ID, you know who she bought it from. I want her real name.”

“...what are you looking for her for? And where’d you get this footage? This is the Atlas gunship.” Junior raised an eyebrow in suspicious curiosity as he slid her scroll back to her and folded his fingers together on his desk.

Considering what to say for a moment, Chrystal decided honesty was the best policy. Besides, she liked Junior. “I broke into the gunship to check the footage. You’re watching her negate a report my team filed. I want...words...with her about that.”

“Every time you tell a story, you scare me more and more. That’s intense but I won’t pry, deniability and all that. But, my clients, or potential clients, popping each other off is bad for business, honey. So I’m a bit hesitant.” Junior sighed regretfully, shaking his head. “Besides, you won’t get words, the girl’s a mute.”

Pausing for a few moments, Chrystal frowned in thought and sat back in her chair, thinking back to Torchwick on the ship, and she took another deep drink of her root beer before letting it rest on her knee, refocusing. “Can you at least tell me what she looks like normally?”

“Chrystal…”

“Okay, information ain’t free, gotcha. So what do you want for it?” Chrystal sighed, sitting up and placing her bottle on the desk.

“Hmm…” Junior hid his surprise, before raising an eyebrow again. “You’re pretty serious about getting your hands on her, aren’t you?...”

“Deadly serious. I’m not going to kill her. Just words.”

“...alright, let’s talk shop. But no part of this conversation leaves this room, give your team deniability, got it?”

Hesitating for a moment at the interested gleam in Junior’s eyes, Chrystal let out a slow breath as she felt herself make another stupid decision. “Got it. But I’m not sleeping with you.”

“What? No! Brothers no. No, I’ve got a job I want you to do.” Junior laughed, tapping his hand on the desk.

“A job?...”

“We both know that you know that Torchwick has been hiring my boys alongside his own. He was paying far more than normal so I took the deal and didn’t ask questions. Word is, he’s been stealing dust in massive quantities. Before he got grabbed, that is.”

“ ‘Word is?’ Come on Junior, give me that amount of respect at least.” Chrystal rolled her eyes, and Junior nodded at her apologetically.

“You’re right, call it a work habit. But what I’m getting at is he took one of my best...let’s refer to them as my guy with the stickiest fingers.”

Knowing what he was getting at, Chrystal ran the tip of her tongue along the back of her teeth and closed her eyes in a sigh. She was going to have to start keeping a tally of the amount of stupid decisions she was making in the fortnight of the biggest event she’d compete in during her time at Beacon.

“What do you want grabbed?”

“Straight to the point, alright then, way to ruin my fun of giving the sales pitch.” Junior laughed before reaching over to one of the filing cabinets and sifting through them for a specific file to grab, putting a sheet of paper down on the desk for Chrystal to give a quick read. “Guy came in a week ago, the son of one of the three guys that own that bladesmith on main street? That big one on the corner of Fountain Street and Highrise that does specialty jobs?”

“I know the one. My ex gets her blades repaired there. Big place.” Chrystal nodded, raising an eyebrow at the file. “You want me to grab a _blueprint_?”

“Some new type of those weird circular weapons Cypher has. The guys have found a way to attach laser weapons to them without impeding the...look I don’t understand it, that shit is your department. But a client of mine overheard and wants them.”

Pausing in thought as she pondered over it, she glanced the file up and down. Basic information on the shop, and one of Junior’s boys had already figured where the secure design room was, and the location was on the file.  
Get in, grab it, get out, don’t get seen.  
While a new type of chakram could be cool, she knew that Cypher had no interest in any type of gun, wanting to maintain her style of being completely silent. So Chrystal knew that Cypher wouldn’t lament the loss of an improved design.

“I grab it for you, and the information is mine?”

“That’s the offer, what do you want to know about the girl?” Junior shrugged and gestured to the file with a nod.

“Name, where to find her, what she looks like undisguised, her connection to Torchwick.” Chrystal said bluntly, folding up the file and putting it into her pocket.

“Agreed. You grab the blueprint _tonight_ and I’ll throw some lien your way as well.” Junior raised his eyebrows and extended his hand, waiting for her decision.

Thinking over it, she let out another slow breath. Sure, she’d _stolen_ things before. Her agility and perfect graceful movement made it easy to pick pockets or snatch things without appearing suspicious or giving anything away. She’d been stealing since she was fourteen despite Shina and his family trying their best to break her out of it.  
But she’d never _robbed_ a place, breaking in in the middle of the night and escaping with loot that was this valuable. She took in a breath. The others could _never_ know about this.  
Reaching out, she shook his hand.

“How much lien if I can get it to you by 2am _tonight_?”

Nodding in almost a proud satisfaction, Junior sat up, his business face coming on. “Normal rate per lifting job is two hundred. Since you’re getting information as well, I’ll give you a hundred.”

Chrystal blanched. A hundred lien? That was almost enough for a new sword, or to get the leather sections of her armour reinforced with light metal. But she decided to play along for fun, knowing they’d already have an agreement.

“Since it’s my first job for you, Make it a hundred-seventy-five.”

“I’m practically doing you a _favour_.” Junior raised his eyebrow with a smirk, tapping his knuckles on the desk. “A hundred-thirty.”

“You’ve been wanting me to work with you for months, me finally relenting is a gift since you know I’ll do this better than your boys. A hundred-fifty.” Chrystal raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, extending her hand playfully.

Laughing fondly and approvingly, Junior shook her hand, squeezing it firmly. “Alright then, fair point fair point, agreed.”

Smiling, Chrystal grabbed her scroll from the table and pocketed it again, standing and stretching before quickly finishing her root beer, Junior grabbing the empty bottle and trashing it before standing as well to politely grab the door for her. But before he opened it, he paused with his hand on the handle and gave her a cautious and warning look.

“Be careful, Chrystal. This girl...she’s not to be messed with casually. She’s not like you and your friends, she’s a _killer_.”

“I know, Junior.” Chrystal sighed, running a hand through her hair before closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose in anxious exhaustion. “But I need this.”

Making sure to meet her eyes for a few moments and studying the look in them, he relented and gave a nod before opening the door for her. “Alright then, see you at two if you come good at your word.”

“Have an easy day, Junior. I’ll see you tonight.” Chrystal gave him a smile before hopping her way down the stairs and stepping back out into the club proper, the staff door swinging closed behind her.

Melanie glanced over at her as she stacked glasses and raised her eyebrows. “You took a job, didn’t you? I know that look in a person’s eyes.”

Nodding, Chrystal slumped and began to make her way out with a wave when she was interrupted by Melanie giving her a sympathetic look and quickly grabbing a glass to pour her a drink.

“Just the one, and just because you’ve got job stress.” She slid the glass to the edge of the counter and tapped the counter with her fingers as Chrystal grabbed it and drank it quickly. Speaking quietly, she leaned in. “Look, we take care of our own. If you get busted, we'll post your bail if you keep your mouth shut. Okay?”

“Got it.” Chrystal gave a thankful nod as she gave the empty glass back, which Melanie immediately washed and dried to put back away.

“Take it easy Chrysalis. See you when the job is finished?”

Nodding again, Chrystal gave a wave as she stepped out of the club and back into the midday sun, putting her hands back into her jumper pockets and sighing, thinking the same thought yet again.

_“What the hell did I just do?”_

+=+=+

Once she was back at the school, she immediately changed back into her school uniform and finished the day as normally as she could, waving off her friends' attempts to get what had happened out of her until they were back in their dorm cooking a small dinner in the tiny kitchen attached, Tacita sitting up on the counter and attending to the sausages on the stove while the others were sprawled about, Chrystal tossing a tennis ball up and down while laying on her bed.

“So how’d it go? We’re back in private now.” Kylar was sitting up on his bed, leaning against the headboard, sorting out his class notes for the day on his laptop. When Chrystal gave a sigh, he half closed it and looked over at her.

“He’s getting the info for me, I’m going to pick it up from him tonight. He reckons he can get her name, and maybe a bit more.” The lie came easily to her, it was a half-truth so when she put the honesty in her voice it was able to come out genuinely. A neat trick she’d figured out young.

“So he doesn’t _just_ know who sold her the identity and credentials, he can get you her proper details?” Kylar raised his eyebrows and looked over to where Shina was eyeballing Chrystal, a serious look on his face for a few moments before it faded away and their team leader nodded, going back to dozing on his bed so he’d have energy for his own night mission.

“We’ll see what he can do. But he has a reputation for coming through.” Chrystal nodded, catching the ball one final time before dropping her arm to her side, the three of them laying in silence until Tacita placed a plate of sausages and vegetables onto her chest, causing her to blink and snap back to reality.

“Well, I’m not sure where to find the White Fang.” Tacita sat on her own bed to eat, looking down at her food with a look as if the plate held all the secrets of the universe, getting a scowl from Kylar when she started reading a book and eating at the same time. “And if your contact is skipping all those steps and just getting us the name, I might as well go along with you Shina. Nothing the White Fang can tell us if we’re just flat-out getting a name.”

Pausing to consider it as he ate before shrugging, Shina nodded. “That’s fair. Alright, you’re along with me. How’d your lunch with Weiss go, Kylar?”

“It went...fine.” Kylar sighed and shrugged.

He liked Weiss, and the feeling was mutual, but the private tea was forced to be a formal affair as he thanked her, and they spoke in private. It was the prim and proper thing to do and he could tell she suffocated in it just as much as he did. There was a small tension between their fathers, but with no-one else around they were able to ignore it and speak honestly, which had been a relief to discover.

“She couldn’t really tell me anything specific, apparently any information _she_ could have given me was stuff that her team had investigated anyway. So that’s all done. So it’s just you two now, assuming Chrystal gets her information.”

“Alright then.” Shina nodded as he finished his dinner and set the plate aside, Tacita narrowing her eyes when she noticed some remaining grains of rice get onto his sheets, causing him to quickly snatch them up. “Well, we’ll head out at around eleven. What time are you off to see your contact, Chrystal?”

“Around midnight.”

“Then we all best get some sleep.” Shina sighed, glancing over at the wall clock and seeing it was seven. “We can get a couple of hours at least.”

Kylar put his laptop aside and hopped up to grab the plates as people finished, everyone making sure to eat quickly, he quickly washed them and put them away as he mulled to himself, a frown on his face. “Remember, this is just recon and info gathering. If you somehow happen to stumble across her, you remember _where_ but you get out of there. After the tournament, got it?”

Nodding, a stressed look on her own face, Tacita flopped down onto her bed face down on her pillow, groaning into it, and Kylar chuckled before walking over and running his fingers through her hair affectionately.

“I know, but we have our priorities.”

Unable to speak due to her face being buried in the pillow, she merely groaned again but in a slightly more accepting tone, and Kylar kissed the back over her neck before changing into his sleepwear in the bathroom, feeling oddly insecure about his scars as he studied them again, wincing as he traced the large ones with his fingers, the green shimmer only appearing when hit by direct light, as if it were glass, and the glimmer was subtle, only noticeable if you were up close or specifically looking for it.

Once everyone curled up in bed to sleep, Kylar was able to sleep through the night without having any plans or obligations. He wasn’t the stealthiest person in the world, so coming along on the recon mission would actually make them more indiscrete. And while both Shina and Tacita found it relatively easy to doze off, Chrystal found herself staring up at the roof.  
For hours.  
It was like a quiet ongoing anxiety attack. But without twitching or physical reaction.  
Just laying there. Staring at the roof. No real thoughts even on her mind, no particular thoughts or images _making_ her anxious. It was just _there_.

She finally found herself snapping out of it when Shina’s alarm went off at half past ten, and everyone stirred. No-one said a word as Shina and Tacita changed into their combat uniforms, knowing deep down they had no choice but to potentially be ready to fight. This was dangerous, and it wasn’t for an official mission.

This was of their own prerogative. Just like it was when Chrystal had gone to the gunship.  
Shina was aware of the similarities, but he didn’t say anything as he strapped on his armour and strapped Hornet’s Kiss onto his back, with Tacita tightening the buckles on the side of the reinforced leather plates along the left side of her body and arm, the right side of her body having less armour so her string arm had more mobility. Accepting she wasn’t going to be getting any sleep, Chrystal sighed and swung out of bed to dress as well, doing so methodically.

As she sat on her bed reloading her pistols and checking over them, Shina and Tacita glanced at each other and gave each other a nod.

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Shina sighed, and Tacita nodded in acceptance.

“You ready?”

“Might as well be.” Shina looked over to Chrystal and gave a smile. “Be safe.”

“You guys too. Please. If you get seen, just get out of there.” Chrystal gave them both a pleading look as she holstered her weapons. “Don’t get into a fight without all of us being there.”

“We promise.” Shina nodded, opening the door as he and Tacita slipped out, Tacita placing one last kiss on a sleeping Kylar’s forehead as she left.

Now alone with a sleeping Kylar, Chrystal found herself looking at the paper Junior had given her, resting on her lap. She wasn’t even reading it, just staring at it, she went back to zoning out and succumbing to her strange silent anxiety attack.

It was rather fascinating how quickly time passes when you’re silently feeling like the world is falling down around you even though things are actually pretty good, all things considered.  
With the clock passing an hour, she quickly undid her harness to pull on dark clothes over her normal armour, putting her harness back on over clothes that lacked the patches of white that their team armour usually had details of. Giving Kylar one last look as he slept and giving him a sad and guilty smile, she slipped out. So late at night, there were still a few people around but for the most part the campus was silent. The gym and training rooms were opened twenty-four hours for the next few days until the tournament, and Chrystal could see the lights from the large building as she slipped out of campus and made her way down into the commercial district, slipping down a specific side street so she popped out on Highrise Street, able to glance the shop in mind.

It was a large building, three stories tall of workshops and display areas, and the owners were wealthy enough from their business that they lived in separate homes instead of above their shop like most shopkeepers were forced to. Which certainly made her job easier, and she glanced up at the third story windows, but they were a last resort. But first she made sure to check the front doors, easily seeing the signs of an alarm, and then the smaller back entrance on the side street that ran between the buildings. While potentially not alarmed, it was well locked, and she sighed in frustration.

“Window it is, then.”

Heading to the wall best hidden from the main street, she looked up at where she wanted to be and bounced on her feet a few times before skipping forward and jumping up, easily reaching the second story and grabbing onto the windowsill, before flinging herself upward to grab onto the windowsill of one of the third story windows, bouncing up again so she was crouching on the miniscule slab of wood, balancing easily.

Testing the window, she narrowed her eyes as she looked at the latch half-budge, and she reached into her pocket and pulled out a basic lockpick kit she’d bought from a...questionable friend, back home. Grabbing a thin wire, she slid it in the tiny gap between window and windowsill and twisted it, smiling as the latch disconnected at the switch.

Humming in satisfaction and putting the wire away, she pulled the window open and gracefully slid inside silently, landing and glancing around, finding herself in what was clearly the main workshop. Raising her eyebrows at the clearly expensive equipment and machinery, she passed by and made her way to the stairs, unable to resist the temptation to slide down the railing instead of walking down properly.  
Bouncing on her feet and glancing around at the large display room, her eyes widened and her heart rate pumped at the sheer amount of extremely valuable weapons on display, her eyes being drawn to the swords.

Reminding herself of what she was there to do, she caught herself picking one up and immediately put it back down with a self-annoyed scowl, deliberately shoving her hands into her pockets so that they stayed off of the shiny swords that she badly wanted to play with. Heading down to the bottom floor, she passed by more complicated weapons and machinery and stepped behind the massive and elegant counter, and found the heavy door to the staff area. Once again pulling her lockpicks out, this lock was a lot harder, and she found herself swearing quietly every time a tumbler fell back down.

Leaning back and glaring at the lock, she jimmied the handle in frustration before resting her forehead against the metal of the door.

“Please. I beg you. Just stay, the fuck, _up_.”

She went back to work, planning bloody murder as the sixth of seven tumblers jiggled and threatened to fall back down, and when the seventh finally clicked and the lock turned, she cackled quietly in satisfaction, opening the door with a dramatic flourish.

“The next door is going to be locked too. I just feel it. And I’m going to have to lock both the fucking things again.” She said deadpan to herself with her arms still raised in victory.

Heading to the right door down the staff hallway, she was correct in her assumption it would be locked, but thankfully this one was only five tumblers instead of seven, and it was clearly not as new as the first one, which had certainly been replaced and upgraded lately. Clicking it open, she saw her prize.

And her enemy.

It was a safe as tall as she was, and as thin. She almost wanted to cry.

Sitting down cross-legged in front of it, she stared at it for a minute before whimpering and opening her lockpick pouch and getting to work. This one was going to be insanely difficult, since it required two keys to open, so she had to essentially unlock two locks at once. In that moment, as the second lock fell back down and she glared off into the abyss, she hated Junior and wanted to burn down his club.  
Twenty minutes. _Twenty minutes._ And it finally clicked open, the safe swinging open and revealing multiple folders full of files. Thumbing through them gradually while humming to herself, she tried to memorise as many of the designs she was scanning past until she came across the right one and pulled it out with another cackle of victory.

Placing the file on the ground, she grabbed her scroll from her pocket and took multiple clear pictures to capture every part of it that could be printed out and compiled. Sliding the file back into the folder and returning it to the safe, she enthusiastically swung the safe closed and relocked it, tracing back her steps and locking each door as she went.  
Sliding out the window and closing it behind her, she relatched it and simply dropped down to the ground, barely even feeling the impact as she landed.

Making her way through the streets once again, it was easy enough to return to Junior’s club, and she checked her scroll to see it was nearly two in the morning exactly. Humming in satisfaction, she handed her weapons to the bouncer who had clearly been told to expect her, letting her in despite the club closing soon.  
Walking over to the bar, she didn’t even need to open her mouth before Melanie jerked her head to the staff door yet again, giving her a warm smile. “Go on through...it’s good to see you safe and sound.”

“Too easy. Which I probably shouldn’t say out loud.” Chrystal narrowed her eyes to herself as she walked past, giving Melanie a wink as she skipped up the steps and knocked on the door.

“Come on in.”

Opening the door and stepping in, she jumped into a pose in victory to Junior, who sighed and sank down into his desk chair from where he’d been standing.

“Oh boy. You’re in one of your states.”

“What? Nah, just adrenaline.” She skipped over and grabbed her scroll from her pocket. “Okay, so. Instead of grabbing the file itself, which would have been noticed, I took some copies.”

“...smart idea. Good thinking. Alright, send them through.” Junior was still giving her a wary and concerned look, but he gestured to his terminal, and Chrystal placed her scroll against the screen of the terminal and sent the images through. Bringing her scroll back and deleting the digital copies she had, she crossed her arms and kept it in her hands, watching patiently as Junior immediately printed the images out and slid them into a folder for his client, then deleting his own digital versions so there was no trail. He nodded and went to the safe in the corner of his room, quickly unlocking it and grabbing a small bundle of lien, Chrystal tapping her foot anxiously and excitedly.

Handing it to her with a smile and grabbing a folder he already had for her on his desk, he passed it to her as well. “A deal is a deal. That officer you saw on the footage _was_ using an ID for an officer named Eris Impa, so your lead there was solid. The girl actually used to exist, but she died on shore leave a year ago. The guy I know who sells those ID’s grabbed it in time before it was deactivated and was able to pass it on to Torchwick.”

“And he passed it to a girl who can change her appearance, who’d be able to impersonate her and get past facial scanners.” Chrystal sighed, nodding as understanding passed over her and she raised her eyebrows and slid the lien into her pocket. “That’s actually brilliant. I both love and hate this girl.”

Regarding her for a few moments, another frown of concern appeared before he shook his head. “Yeah, right. Well, the girl herself. Goes by Neopolitan, been with Torchwick a couple of years now and sticks to his side like glue. Got a couple of photos of her in there, but nothing of quality. The girl knows how to stay out of the limelight.”

“So we don’t know where she’s from? Nothing about her?” Chrystal frowned, flipping the folder open and starting to skim through the photos. 

Coming across one of decent quality, she froze, unblinking, as she took in the girl’s appearance. Her heart jumped in her chest. The girl was _beautiful._ Short, pale, a dancer's build but with a bit of curves, nice wide eyes and a pixieish profile, just Chrystal's type. But her hair was what made Chrystal stare and her heart stop. And this time, not in a good way.

One half of her hair was a gorgeous rich brown, but the other was a familiar shade of pink.

Sliding it back into the folder, her face still frozen, she flicked the folder closed and nodded distractedly. “Got it. Any idea where to find her?”

“Hasn’t been seen much over the past few months. A handful of times. Glimpsed in rare moments near some small warehouse on the east docks dealing with some guy, the edge of Torchwick’s turf.” He pointed at a particular file in the folder, which was an address with a photo paperclipped to it.

“Got it.” Chrystal nodded, still looking down at the folder and swallowing, barely hearing him as she drummed her fingers. “Thanks Junior.”

“You alright, honey?” Junior asked with a concerned voice, a surprisingly gentle one.

She nodded, her eyes immediately flicking to him, still rarely blinking, and she gave him a quick thumbs up. “Yeah I’m good. Just a weird night I guess. Thanks for the help.”

“You got it...you ever want to do more work, you let me know. You did great.” Junior gave a respectful nod as he sat back down at his desk.

Giving a wave, she quickly made her way out the door and out of the club, grabbing her weapon harness without a word as she quickly made her way out with the folder under her arm.

Pausing in the middle of the street and staring at the ground in manic thought, she stepped into the same alley she’d stood in with Yang the other night and grabbed the photo from the folder again to look at it, the same chilly shiver going through her as she stared at the girl’s features and hair. Looking up and away from it, staring out at a streetlamp, she bounced her foot to try and calm her thoughts, before looking down at the girl once again.  
Putting it away after a minute, she put the folder under her arm and bounced her foot even faster as her mind fired off.

_‘Well, a quick look at the warehouse wouldn’t kill me, right?’_

_‘_ Wait, no, that’s not right.’

Shaking her head to remove the fuzziness from her mind, she felt almost a sheen slide off of her and she blinked, falling back against the alley wall and looking down as she looked at the folder. Her eyes seemed to clear for the first time since she stepped into Junior’s club at midday, and she shivered.  
Looking down at the folder once again in shock, she blinked, closing her eyes for a few moments to center herself.

A quick look at the pathway to the warehouse, then heading home. No problem.

Sliding the folder into the satchel on her left hip, she began to make her way through the back alleys and streets towards the warehouse, making sure to stay in as many of the more secretive and hidden pathways as possible, her hands by her sides.

Entering full darkness, she navigated through the warehouses of the east end of the docks. Hearing the sound of movement, she narrowed her eyes and immediately glanced up at how high the roof nearest to her was, nodding in satisfaction before hopping her way up, bouncing from wall to wall and scrambling her way up, crouching down once she skipped up onto the roof.  
It was the warehouse in question that the noise was coming from, with low light inside and one of the doors partially ajar. Narrowing her eyes, she jumped from roof to roof to get closer, slipping down to be as close as possible. The first thing she noticed was the smell. And it was a scent she recognised.

Death.

Her breath catching in her throat, she reached up and drew her blades silently before sliding down and landing on the ground, bouncing across to the outside wall and peering around the doorway to look inside.  
She froze.

Bodies. A pile of bodies.  
Her eyes widened as she looked, knowing she should be counting but unable to focus enough to do it. Two dozen? Three dozen?  
White Fang members still in their uniforms, Torchwick Gang members, and plenty of Junior’s thugs still in their suits. And even a handful of civilians. Movement inside the warehouse caught her eye, and she narrowed her eyes trying to get a good view of the small number of figures that were moving around, dragging bodies into organised piles.

But she was broken out of her frozen state when her mind screamed at her and she ducked just in time for a fist to slam into the wall where her head had been and she rolled away, bouncing to her feet and bringing her blades up. She immediately went to retaliate, but she skidded to a halt as her eyes took in what she was facing. The lumbering man who had tried to hit her was dressed in only a pair of tattered trousers, and _everything_ about him was _wrong_ .  
Pale skin, dulled eyes with green in the whites of them, and a sickly black writhing underneath the skin. The mouth was hanging open and the flesh of the torso was _wrong_. Lumpy and tight.

“What’s happening out there?!”

A voice from inside snapped her out of her shock even as the man lumbered towards her, and she skipped and hopped away out of its reach, turning away to sprint back across the street and down the alley just in time for her to hear a man step out of the doorway. She only got a bare glimpse at him as she turned, but it was enough to see his face. Mid-thirties, dark hair, glasses that were rectangular unlike Petyr’s circular ones.

But that was all she got as she bolted away, sliding her swords back into their sheaths to free her hands.

Her heart was hammering in her chest as she hopped up onto the rooftops again and sprinted back home as fast as she could, stealth and security be damned. She didn’t slow down until she was back in the dorm, closing the door loud enough behind her that Kylar jerked awake and both Tacita and Shina looked at her from where they’d been talking at the small dining table.  
Noticing that Chrystal was hyperventilating almost to a point she would pass out, Shina quickly made his way over to wrap an arm around her, silently guiding her to her bed which she sank down onto, sitting rigidly.

“Chrystal, talk to us. What happened?”

Silent for a few minutes as she got her breathing under control, gratefully taking a glass of water that Tacita gave her and sipping it slowly, she reached into her satchel with shaking hands and handed the folder to Kylar.  
Her voice was barely more than a whimper.

“...we have a massive problem…this is so much worse than we thought.”

  
  


+=+=+

Meanwhile, back at ten o’clock at night.

+=+=+

Humming to herself as she worked in the small mortuary lab, Delilah delicately used a finger to cut open the body on the slab, peeling open the skin and muscle tissue until the heart was revealed. Rosha had taught her how to do the procedure which prepared the heart so she was able to do it on her own, and she was getting faster and faster at it.

Looking at the body’s heart, she sighed sadly at the damage that had been done to it, the man having clearly been a smoker. She tutted to herself and looked up at the face.

“Oh my dear, if it were anyone but me you would be so sore when you wake up. But I’m going to fix you right up.” Placing a finger on the rotten heart, she closed her eyes and focused her Semblance, shifting and moving the flesh to clear out the contaminants and expand the arteries and chambers again, stretching out the damaged tissue and regenerating it.

Opening her eyes to watch as the heart pulsed and rippled underneath her touch, she narrowed her eyes to focus as she touched the central artery and opened it up.

Reaching over, she grabbed a nearby dish full of ground up earth dust, delicately and carefully pouring it into the slit she’d torn open until it was full. Raising an eyebrow in satisfaction, she placed the dish to the side before concentrating for a moment to bring her aura to the surface, and placed her hand on the torso of the body again. Without closing her eyes, she carefully sealed up the ripped artery, and then slipped into almost a trance as she attuned to the body entirely, pulsing the flesh of the arteries slowly, in rippling ebbs, until the earth dust was spread evenly throughout the entire body, giving the veins underneath the skin a protruding brown hue. Taking a deep breath, she drew the earth dust into the muscles, and infused it into the tissues themselves.  
It was a long process, and she always found herself swaying back and forth as she worked, feeling the gentle obedience under her touch. Dead flesh was so much easier to use than living, it didn’t fight back, it didn’t argue. It did as it was told.

Feeling it complete, she brought a hand up and began to tap all over the body, nodding in satisfaction when she felt the muscles and skin be harder than they had been previously.

“Good boy. It’ll be harder to hurt you now. You’ll be sore when you wake up but my aura will help it pass. You’re going to be just fine.” She gently placed a hand on the man’s face and nodded, using the touch to mutilate and distort the heart to create the necessary chamber for the electric dust.

“Soon I won’t need this. And you’ll all be so much healthier and happier.” She smiled, patting the cheek before stepping away and making her way to the caged Grimm in the corner. Some of her children should be returning soon with another one, so she could keep working. To have enough children to create true change when Beacon was to fall would require working through the night.

For some reason, the Grimm no longer snarled at her when she got close. They glared, and they clearly sensed what she was feeling, but they never growled or snarled. It made things easier and quicker, and she gave a grateful smile to the dormant beast as she got it into position like she had dozens of times by now.  
Placing the exactly calculated amount of electric dust into the chamber of the heart, she quickly sealed up the flesh and got it ready.

“Okay, let’s get you up and about.” Softly leaning down and kissing the body’s forehead, she straightened up and inserted the transfusion tubing into it first, and then the Grimm, before placing her hands on each and focusing. The process was much faster now, and much easier on her aura drain, but they weren’t sure why.  
Every time she did it, it got easier. Smoother. And it felt good.

Sinking her fingers into the flesh of the Grimm under her touch, the strange flesh easily giving under her Semblance enhanced grip, her head lolled to the side slightly as she closed her eyes and started. Underneath the grip she had inside of the Grimm she could _feel_ it hollowing out, the delicate half-flesh being liquified and drawn into her new child as if it were blood. Spreading through every vein, every artery, every cell of every muscle, and with her delicate and loving touch it bound to the earth dust already infused within.  
The Grimm under her touch shivered as she took more and more from it, the creature desperate to get away, but eventually the process was done and she opened her eyes. Looking down at her child and checking every inch to see if it worked, she smiled pleased before minutely flexing the fingers of her right hand, the Grimm melting into grime underneath her touch, before turning into ash like they always did.

Pushing the wheeled cage away, she stepped around to the head of the slab and ran her fingers through her sleeping child’s hair, smiling softly. “Okay, almost done. I’m afraid this is going to hurt, but then it’ll feel so _good_. I promise.”

Placing her hands on the torso directly above the heart, she reached for her aura, combining it with the power of her Semblance and beginning the process of sliding it through the veins and arteries of the body. She watched as pulses of emerald green went through, rippling the flesh almost like shimmering waves as flesh crunched and bent and tried its best to return to its original form, the aura trying to heal what could not be healed as skin repaired and tightened around muscles that had been grown, and the skin itself had been hardened. Groaning and closing her eyes, she _felt_ the body under her touch, felt inside of it, her aura connecting her to it. She felt the skin, the muscles, the tissue. And she felt the darkness in the veins and arteries that she had placed there.  
This was always her favourite part, her focus following along through the veins and tickling it with aura, binding it to the darkness, and she felt her knees almost give out as the warping rippling darkness of the black blood waved through her as her aura touched it and it became a part of her.  
She giggled happily as she finished, and finally touched the aura to the electric dust to activate it and send the shock jolting through the body, concentrating hard on her aura to make sure that it channeled and focused just how she needed it to.

“Come on honey, wake up for me.” She whispered softly, looking into the eyes of the body which were rapidly becoming distorted with black and emerald green. “We have work to do.”

The body underneath her touch jolted, and the eyes widened as she felt her aura infuse and seal itself almost like a bubble, her Semblance binding it in place as she took her hands away and rested them by her sides, shaking off the haze of the black blood and feeling its absence, but what gripped her focus harder was the body on the table which spasmed again, a groan escaping the mouth.

“No no, honey. You don’t need to breathe anymore.” Delilah placed a hand on the shoulder, the body’s eyes immediately looking to her and tearing up slightly as they recognised her. She gave a soft smile. “That’s right, there we go. You’re okay. Okay, let’s try sitting up.”

Stepping back, she watched as the body pushed itself into a sitting position, sitting with its legs hanging from the slab and the arms slack by its side, every muscle slack and heavy except for those required to do as it was told, though the eyes kept following her.

“Okay, good boy. Now let’s check everything. Open up for me?” She stood in front of it and tapped its jaw, and the body obediently looked up at her and opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs. 

It had been a real pain grabbing enough animal bodies to replace all the teeth with semblance-enlarged fangs, but it had been worth it, and with the jaw muscles she had strengthened she was so happy with the results she had to resist the urge to _squeal_!

“Good boy! Look at those teeth. You look wonderful.”

The body kept its mouth open, having not been told to close it yet, but the corners of the mouth tilted up into a smile as Delilah’s happiness rippled through her aura. All across all her children, in the warehouse or in the tunnels and sewers where they were working, they all smiled in unison.

Nodding, she stepped over to a table and grabbed a thick metal pipe, straining underneath the weight of it, and she handed it out. “Okay, grab this for me?”

Her child did so, closing its mouth and the expression going blank again.

“Good good. Now bend it for me? Try and bend it. Let’s see if I grew your muscles properly.”

Without hesitation, the body grabbed both ends of the pipe and began to bend it, the thick and powerful metal groaning loudly as it warped. Grotesquely and unnaturally thick muscles flexed on the body’s arms, and Delilah stepped forward to give each one of them an experimental squeeze, satisfied to feel they were as strong as rock and likely just as impenetrable.

“Wonderful! Now put it down and I’ll check your aura levels, let’s see if you’re stable or if you’re going to pop like some of your brothers and sisters ended up doing.” Delilah placed her hand on the body’s forehead and focused, feeling out for the body’s aura and finding it, smiling widely when she felt it was stable and self-sustaining, bound to the black blood.  
Stepping back and grabbing a rag from a nearby sink, she turned on the tap and washed her hands, no longer feeling any need to speak to her child and instead thinking her orders. The body stood from the slab and made its way over to a pile of clothes and armour, getting dressed in jerky unnatural movements, lacking the dexterity for straps and buckles, with Delilah ending up walking over to fix up and buckle everything with a motherly look.

“Oh baby. I’m going to figure out flexibility and accuracy eventually, for your next siblings. I promise. Now come here.” The body crouched down slightly, and Delilah pressed a kiss to its forehead. Stepping back with her hands folded in front of her, she took it in.

It was huge, far taller than it was meant to be. It had been a relatively simple process, simply harvesting bone from other corpses and grafting it. Same with skin and muscle tissue. It was just a matter of taking spare pieces and sticking it together like a jigsaw. Though she hadn’t made it _too_ tall, wanting it to still fit through doorways. The teeth had been replaced, and she’d pulled claws from some animals to replace the fingernails. Bone, muscle and skin infused with earth dust, it would shake off bullets relatively easily.

All in all, a gorgeous success, and she gave it a wide smile. “You look so good. Ten or so more just like you and it’ll be another full unit. We’re working so quickly, now grab another body for me please baby?”

Mentally asking another one of her children to bring her another Grimm, she smiled happily as her newest child picked up a random body from the pile in the corner and laid it on the slab, straightening it out.  
Rolling up her sleeves, she pulled over the table covered in dishes that were filled with teeth and fangs and claws and she got to work all over again, eventually having another body brought over to harvest the bone, muscle and skin tissue needed to expand its mass. The new Grimm arrived shortly, and she smiled at the child that brought it before sending it back out to rejoin the other children that were grabbing more Grimm.  
The second child went just as well as the first, the process of changing and adjusting the body itself taking well over two delicate hours, but eventually it awakened at around the time the clock struck one in the morning.

As it got dressed as well, before she went over to help buckle up its clothes and armour she grabbed her scroll from her pocket, humming to herself happily as she dialed a number and put it to her ear, resting it on her shoulder to briefly free her hands to tighten laces and straps.

 _“Delilah, an update this late at night?”_ Cinder’s voice wasn’t groggy, she clearly hadn’t yet been asleep, but there was a slight undertone of caution to her voice, as if she was expecting bad news with the time being so late.

“Not at all. I just finally want to show you my work. I think you’ll be pleased with the final results, shall I message you the address?”

_“...do so. I shall be there shortly, and I hope I’m not disappointed, Delilah.”_

The line clicked as Cinder hung up, and Delilah sighed at the rudeness before simply texting her the address and getting back to work on another body, though she knew she wouldn’t be even half done by the time Cinder got there. But, time was running out, there were only a handful of nights left, and she did need to get _some_ sleep each night, to recharge her aura.  
Humming to herself yet again, just a random tune, her eyes flicked up when her scroll blipped, and she quickly washed her hands before checking it.

_“Here.”_

Nodding, she hopped up the steps to unlock the door, revealing Cinder, along with Emerald and Mercury behind her. Stepping aside, Delilah allowed them in before closing the door and locking it again, everything except the bolts, so that Rosha could unlock it when it was time for his return.

“Well?” Cinder had a hand rested on her hip, and an eyebrow raised. “So this is where you’ve been working, is it?”

“Please, downstairs.” Delilah smiled politely and showed the way, noticing as both Emerald and Mercury clearly noticed the stench of dead flesh, Mercury’s nose twitching meanwhile Emerald clearly swallowed a gag in her throat.

Leading the way down the stairs, Delilah opened the door into the mortuary and stepped inside, walking far enough in that the other three could fit inside before she closed the door behind them.

“Oh god…” Emerald’s eyes widened in horror as she gazed at the two hulking giants, mouths slack and arms simply dangling as they stood next to each other in the corner.

Mercury didn’t say anything, but he took a step back towards the door without taking his eyes off them, and Emerald followed after a moment of being frozen in horror.  
Meanwhile Cinder also hesitated in a flinch for a moment, before she stepped forward and examined them, her eyes fiery and fascinated.

“Children, show Cinder all the toys I gave you that make you so strong.” Delilah said in a gentle voice that made Emerald flinch, the bodies opening their mouths to show their fangs before extending their fingers to show the vicious claws.

“They’re monsters…” Emerald whimpered out, recoiled almost entirely into the door, with Mercury finding his confidence and stepping forward to join Cinder.

“What on earth did you do to them?” He asked, glancing over at Delilah with a horrified stare that he was trying to disguise with steel, and failing.

She gave a smile and stepped to the side to be able to gesture to all the trays and buckets, and the body currently split open on the slab. The steel on his face immediately shattered and his eyes widened, meanwhile Emerald finally broke and gagged, the only thing stopping her from throwing up being pure willpower that had her face go pale and her eyes tear up.

Meanwhile Cinder was still examining them, but her face was strangely frozen as she gazed them up and down, the normal glow in her eyes was gone, her stare was sharp and scrutinising as she took them in.

“How many have you made?”

“Of this variation? Just the two, but of the lesser variation? Thirty-five.”

“Thirty-five…” Mercury muttered to himself as he flinched again, his eyes taking in everything as he turned in a slow circle. “Fucking hell.”

“I don’t intend on making any more of that batch. They’re wonderful, and so obedient and effective, but they’re…” She sighed, and there was a genuine note of grief in her voice. “A disappointment, now that I know what they could have been.”

Reaching out, Cinder pressed a hand onto the flesh, having noticed the strange tint to it, and she smiled impressed when she felt how strong and hard the skin was. Nodding, she turned to Delilah with a smile.

“I was wrong to doubt you, Delilah dear. I apologise. They’re beautiful.”

“Thank you Cinder, I’m very happy with them.” Delilah smiled in thanks for the praise, her eyes moving to the monsters with such a loving look that Emerald paled and immediately looked at the ground.

“How many can you make?” Cinder asked, stepping over to stand next to Delilah so they could scrutinise them together, her arms crossed and a finger on her cheek in thought.

Delilah glanced behind her at the body on the slab and the body parts, then regarded the pile of bodies in the corner and thinking. “Neo did excellent work collecting bodies. The warehouse we’ve been using is fit to bursting. And I have some of my children out collecting the Grimm that I’ve been using.”

“Grimm you’ve been using?” Cinder raised her eyebrows and glanced at her curiously, and Delilah sighed.

“The rebirth is a delicate process. Grimm blood isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done. They wake up and they behave wonderfully, that’s enough for now.”

“You have plans for improvements?” Cinder looked back to the two monsters and looked them up and down again.

“Many.” Delilah gave her a wide smile, before almost immediately looking back as well. “But I feel I’m out of time to try new variations now.”

Thinking to herself as she walked over to check her buckets and how many of each part she had, she clicked her tongue. “As for how many I can make, it really just depends on how many Grimm I can get my hands on. Rebuilding and fixing the flesh takes around two hours each, then the transfusion and rebirth takes around another hour. That’s three hours per child.”

“Please don’t call them children…” Emerald winced again, finally able to look the monsters up and down, before immediately paling at the vicious glare Delilah shot her.

“They _are_ my children. I made them, and they are made out of me. That makes them my children.” Delilah snapped at her, before turning back to Cinder. “Ones of this complexity and size? I can make maybe three a night. That’s about my aura’s limits too. The others are smaller, so I'm able to create more faster, but not ones of this complexity. Three a night.”

“More than enough, if they’re each as strong as these two, combined with the other ones you already have.” Cinder nodded in satisfaction, turning to Delilah properly again and looking at her in a different light. “You’ve done well, Delilah. Is there any assistance you need that might speed up your work?”

Humming in thought, Delilah looked over her supplies and shook her head. “Not unless one of your helpers wants to learn how to extract-”

Delilah was interrupted when all four of them heard the door of the building unlock in a hurry and then close forcefully, then hurried footsteps down the stairs as Doctor Rosha burst in.

“Delilah, we have-”

He stopped short when he saw Cinder and the others and immediately looked to Delilah with wide and questioning eyes.

“Easy Doctor, these are simply my compatriots. Cinder, may I introduce Doctor Theodorus Rosha, he’s been assisting me in my work even before you and I made contact.” Delilah walked to stand between Cinder and Rosha, smiling between them both.

“Doctor Rosha, a pleasure, now what has you bursting in here in such a panic?” Cinder gave him a polite smile before tilting her head with a raised eyebrow.

Taking off his glasses, he glanced over to the two hulking monsters and stepped closer to them, suddenly transfixed, before remembering why he’d rushed into the room and putting his glasses back on, looking to Delilah.

“Delilah, the warehouse has been discovered. I have no idea how, but it was found.”

“What?? By who??” Delilah blanched and looked away in a mixture of fear and rapid thought, still listening but rapidly thinking.

“I didn’t catch her face, she was dressed in dark clothing and stayed in the shadow, but she was definitely a Huntsman, she had swords in her hands”

“Shit... _shit!_ ” Delilah snarled, running her hands through her hair as Cinder rapidly looked to her.

“If the bodies are discovered, how much does this put you back?”

“With the ones I have here it should be enough.” Delilah looked over at her pile, before looking to Theo. “Did she see your face? Were you followed back here?”

“I’m willing to assume she did, yes. But she sprinted away in a panic, I doubt I was followed back but I came as soon as I could.” Doctor Rosha put his glasses back onto his face and crossed his arms.

Nodding, Delilah sighed in thought as her mind calmed down. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers along her forehead in thought as Mercury and Emerald looked to Cinder.

“Are we in danger of being found out?” Emerald asked anxiously, and Cinder tilted her head to consider it.

“No, no if the doctor wasn’t followed here then there’s no linking him to Delilah, and if there’s no link to Delilah there’s no link to us.” Cinder shook her head, which satisfied Mercury but Emerald still looked worried.

Doctor Rosha sighed in frustration and slapped his fist into the palm of his other hand, annoyed and impatient. “My own work is so close to being finished. So close.”

“I’m assuming you have physical notes? Hard evidence?” Delilah asked, a strange tone to her voice as she straightened up and opened her eyes, folding her hands behind her back as she took a step closer to Rosha.

“Yes, of course. In my private lab with the samples I’ve collected.” Doctor Rosha nodded, scrunching up his mouth. “If I’ve been discovered, I’ll destroy it all once I return home. I have it memorised, I can start again.”

“How close are you to being finished?”

“Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but now I _am_ curious what the doctor is getting out of this arrangement?” Cinder interrupted tersely, with a raised eyebrow, and Doctor Rosha glanced at Delilah for reassurance before replying.

“I believe I am on the cusp of finding a way for auras to integrate the intelligence of other auras. Absorbing memories, harnessing the brainpower. In layman’s terms, using aura to add someone else's intelligence to your own. With every brain you do it to, you get more processing power, more speed, every memory they have…” Doctor Rosha straightened out his glasses and gave an enthusiastic smile, before sighing. “Sadly you need a Semblance such as Delilah’s or my own to do it, in theory.”

“Not just that.” Delilah smiled, raising an eyebrow to Cinder. “We believe that, if done perfectly, there’s a chance the procedure can absorb other Semblances. If a person’s Semblance is linked to who they are, then by absorbing who they are...though that’s just a theory. And as he said, it would require a Semblance of the sort he and I have in order to do it. Flesh interaction.”

Cinder’s eyebrows raised incredibly high, and she crossed her arms to consider it. “I see. That would be a power beyond anything most would have the ambition to imagine. You mentioned your own Semblance, doctor?”

“Yes, while Delilah is able to speak with flesh and...control it, I am able to absorb it. So while Delilah can modify the flesh of others, I am able to modify my own.” To demonstrate his point, he walked over to one of the bodies, and it seemed to almost crunch and warp as the doctor’s hand practically _chewed_ and swallowed chunks of it. Standing, he then showed his arm, and the others watched as he grew another hand.

“Quite the grotesque yet interesting duo, aren’t you.” Cinder chuckled, impressed.

Delilah interrupted, turning to the doctor. Her voice readopted the strange tone she’d had earlier, and while Cinder and Mercury seemed to disregard it, Emerald felt a shiver go through her at whatever it was inside it.

“But yes, how close are you to completing your work, Theodorus?”

“Right on the cusp. Two more nights, I’d wager.” He sighed, shaking his head sadly. “It will be a shame to lose some progress.”

Nodding in understanding, Delilah gave a sigh and crossed her hands in front of herself, giving the doctor a soft look. “Ever since we met you’ve been a good friend, Doctor. We’ve made incredible progress together, I couldn’t have done half of this without you.”

“And I you, dear.” Doctor Rosha smiled fondly, before flinching away when a monster grabbed onto each shoulder, tightly, holding him in place. “Delilah?? What are you-”

He was cut off as one of the monsters behind him placed a clawed hand over his mouth, and Delilah stepped forward to be just in front of him as he thrashed around trying to escape, but the grip of her children was truly unnaturally strong. When Emerald and Mercury looked to Cinder for some sort of instruction, she simply raised a hand as she herself watched what was happening in concealed shock and thrill.

“Doctor, I swear to you, on everything we’ve done together, that I will complete your work. But what I’m doing here is too important for your discovery to threaten. If you’ve been seen, you could be followed back here at any time. I can’t allow that. My children are currently disposing of the bodies at the warehouse, and after I collect everything from your lab I will cleanse it. Your good name will never be sullied, I promise.” 

Delilah stepped towards her friend and placed her hand on his struggling cheek, and he immediately stilled, his eyes widening as he saw the green in her eyes pulse slightly, the telltale sign she was touching her aura. “It’s such a shame that Doctor Theodorus Rosha was yet another casualty in the destruction of Beacon. His body never found.”

The other three watched, completely frozen, as Delilah’s monster took its hand from the Doctor’s mouth, the man frozen by Delilah and unable to move a muscle as she stared at him for a long moment. Staring into his eyes for a moment, her gaze then flicked down to his lips and she tilted her head.  
“I saw the way you’d look at me, Theo.” She said softly, stroking his cheek with her thumb and making sure to never break physical contact. “It’s alright. My Semblance has made me look older than I am and I never told you my age. So I forgive you, you’re not a bad man. One for the road, Doctor?”

When Delilah leant forward and pressed her lips to the Doctor’s, the other three watched in horror as after a few moments the man’s eyes rolled back into his head and blood began to drip from his ears. Leaning back from him, Delilah ran the back of her sleeve over her mouth and it came back bloody, as her friend’s head slumped forward, blood now also dripping from his lips and eyes.

“You’re a monster…” Emerald whispered, her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide, staring at Delilah. Her body couldn’t stop shaking as she stared at the other girl, flicking her stare between Delilah and the doctor. "You...you're a _monster_."

“That...was the most fucked up thing I’ve seen in a _long_ time.” Mercury swallowed, suddenly being reminded of how it had felt when Delilah had hurt him. Glancing at the doctor, he felt a sense of relief that he had gotten off easy. “Holy shit…”

Meanwhile Cinder simply stared at Delilah for a few moments, unsure what to even begin to think about the girl. On one hand, Delilah was an excellent asset, and was creating servants and soldiers better than any faunus or robot could be in the battle to come, despite being young. But on the other hand, both of her assistants were right.

She was a monster, and Cinder was no stranger to monsters.

But that couldn’t matter right now, so she simply tilted her head at the body of the doctor, still being held limply, and stepped forward to speak to Delilah. “Anyone who might notice he’s missing? Does he have a family?”

“Not for much longer. My children are taking care of it.” Delilah shook her head, giving a soft sigh as she looked at her friend. “Once my work here in Beacon is finished, I fully intend on completing his work. He deserves that much at least.”

“And what will you do with such an ability?”

“Use it, of course.” Delilah shrugged, giving Cinder a small eager smile. When her scroll blipped with an alert, she thinned her lips and sighed. “I have to return to my dorm and get some sleep. But yes, are you satisfied with my work, ma’am?”

Pausing for a moment and turning in a full circle to take it all in, Cinder looked to Delilah and gave a sinister smile and nod, the fiery glimmer returning to her eyes. “Completely. You have truly gone beyond what I could have imagined. Shall you be bringing your friend back as one of your ‘children’?”

“No...no.” Delilah shook her head, checking her watch and grabbing her bag. “No, I respect him too much to make him into someone else.”

“Ah, so shall we dispose of it?” 

Cinder almost went to gesture for Mercury to go and grab Rosha’s body from the grip of Delilah’s monsters, but she stopped when Delilah casually shook her head with a dismissive smile, opening the lab door and following Cinder up.

Emerald was halfway up the stairs, following just after Cinder and Delilah, before she staggered to a stop, frozen and with horrified eyes, when she heard the telltale sounds of fangs tearing into flesh.

+=+=+

Two nights left until the tournament.

+=+=+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to Angry_Face for the idea of aura healing leaving coloured scars!


	13. Two Nights Until The Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With only two nights until the tournament, the only things left are last minute organising and trying to recover from their stressful weeks as much as possible before they're put in the arena. As Shina is forced under the distrustful stare of General Ironwood, Chrystal finds herself looking at Petyr and accepting how she's come to feel about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS M/F SMUT.
> 
> Which I wasn't expecting to ever appear in the story, but hey, it actually fits with their character arcs.
> 
> So if smut isn't your thing, feel free to consider them arriving at the party the end of the chapter!

As the sun reached high enough in its ascent that pure rays of light were cast down through the high windows of the warehouse, Shina noticed the familiar golden glow reflecting off his blade as the light touched the ever so slightly tinted steel. Clean of any blood or gore, the warehouse had been empty when they had arrived after forcing Chrystal to take a few hours sleep, but by the time they had arrived the entire place had clearly been cleared out.

Not a single corpse remained, though signs of them lingered with splashes of dried blood, and it took more than just moving the body to get rid of the scent of dead flesh, so it lingered in the air and had him scrunching up his nose whenever a particularly malicious breeze brought a fresh wave of it his direction.

Looking around the empty space and resting his sword on his shoulder, all four of them with their weapons drawn, they mostly waited as Tacita scanned the entire space as closely as she could, her eyes practically glowing with her aura as she focused so hard Shina was sure she’d have a headache by the time she was done. But it allowed her to follow the splatters of blood in a trail, loosely walking around the space as she followed traces that Shina’s own eyes couldn’t pick up on the floor or walls.

Meanwhile Chrystal was horribly nervous, constantly shuffling her fingers while gripping the hilt of a blade in one hand and the grip of one of her guns in the other, flicking the safety on and off nervously, the clicking sound just loud enough that Tacita kept asking her to stop, only for her to start doing it again less than a minute later.

Kylar was in the small warehouse office, tearing it apart for any sign of papers or remnants of some sort of organisational process. But from the scowl on his face visible through the small window, he wasn’t having any luck, eventually looking up at Shina through the glass and shaking his head before vanishing as he headed out to come back around into the main space.  
Clicking his tongue, Shina stepped outside to walk another circle around the outside of the building, examining the ground and the walls. There was a solid dent from where the creature had attempted to strike Chrystal, but apart from that there weren’t many other signs of what had happened. No scratches on the concrete of the road, no remains at all in the warehouse itself. The entire space was practically scrubbed.

After a few more minutes, Tacita’s eyes refocused as she came back to the space around her, and she shook her head at him as he stepped back inside. She clicked her bow closed and glanced around at all of them.

“It’s clear, no-ones around, not even at the other warehouses this early in the morning. Not in this part of town, at least.”

“No sign of anything?”

Shina slid Hornet’s Kiss back into its sheath on his back, placing his hand on Chrystal’s back comfortingly as he stepped up next to her, facing Tacita.  
Chrystal relaxed into the touch, but only slightly, and she kept her weapons in her hands.

“When they cleared it out they cleared it out _well_ .” Tacita sighed, crossing her arms in frustration at apparently being beaten. “If there was any fresh blood, they cleared it up. No sign of bodies being dragged any particular distance, my guess is they’ve been thrown into the water, and it’s _deep_ in this part of the bay. Too deep for me to see.”

“Nothing in the office, not even ashes from documents being _burnt_. If anything was even there to begin with.” Kylar joined them, Myriadisca on his back using the unique harness he’d devised after the CULD rescue mission. “We’re chasing ghosts.”

“But...you guys believe me, right?” Chrystal looked around at the three of them anxiously, her fingers drumming on her weapons again. “I promise, I know what I saw. What it was.”

“Of course we believe you, that was never in question.” Shina wrapped an arm around her back and kissed the side of her head. “It’s just...clearly they didn’t want us investigating after they knew they’d been seen.”

“Clearly…” Kylar grumbled in annoyance as he glanced around one last time. “The description of the man doesn’t ring any bells either. He’s not from campus.”

“Come on, let’s head back. A brainstorm session out in the open doesn’t feel like a great idea right now, especially not right here.” Shina gestured towards the door with his head, and the four headed out, heading back to the academy. “Besides, sadly we _do_ have to attend classes today, since it’s all the tournament guidelines and final registration and all that tedium. Which is going to be a blast, I can feel it already.”

Snorting, Kylar could only shrug. “It’s a part of it. Not too late to pull out.”

“That’s what she said.” Chrystal mumbled to herself in an attempt to cheer herself up, getting a withering look from him which did turn into a small smile.

“But in all seriousness.” She continued, finally sliding her weapons back into their sheath and holster. “I think the tournament is just what I need right now. I need to beat the shit out of something or someone.”

“...not the healthiest attitude in the world.” Kylar raised his eyebrows and let out a breath slowly, before conceding with another shrug. “But a part of me feels the same way.”

Nodding, Tacita didn’t say anything, but she put her hands into the pockets of her coat and frowned. In all honesty, she agreed with Chrystal entirely. There was a unique feeling of powerlessness in the group right now, having grown over the past few days. The information that Chrystal had gotten from her contact was a breakthrough, but a breakthrough that led them nowhere, ultimately.

Looking in a city of tens of thousands of people? For someone who could change their appearance? Even with her own Semblance she couldn’t scan every inch of the city at once, and it took immense focus for it to break through illusion Semblances. She could do it, but it took strain and she couldn’t yet do it while extending her range.

It was hard to admit, but this was the first time in quite a few years she’d felt powerless and out of her depth, but she was determined to see it through. She agreed with Chrystal more often than the other girl thought.

Tacita must have clearly made some sort of sound, as Kylar bumped her shoulder with his own and gave her a concerned frown, but smiling to wave it off had him trust her and nod. He always trusted her, and she loved him for it.

She was the one thing he never pried into or relentlessly pushed. It was a strange feeling, being the one exception to someone’s otherwise annoying character traits.

Ever since he’d woken up in the medical bay and spoken to his father he’d been different. Not in any massive ways, but he was a bit quieter, and a bit more distracted and internally focused, spending chunks of time deep in thought, but not in his usual active way. Instead she could tell it was reflection and introspection, she could see the glaze go over his eyes whenever he slipped into it.

Whatever he was examining and worried about, she hoped he’d be okay soon. Self-doubt was a rare look on him, and she wasn’t sure whether or not it suited him.

Wincing as the activity of people entered her awareness, bombarding her enhanced senses with information and stimulus that her semblance-enhanced subconscious immediately began processing and organising, she flexed her hands inside the pockets of her coat and looked up at the archway leading into the academy, and as they passed under it she locked her eyes onto the massive tower, her head tilted up as she narrowed her eyes to focus, extending her vision and seeing Ozpin already sitting at his desk for the day.  
Not to imply he wasn’t a worker usually, but he’d been scarily stressed and busy the past few weeks.  
But, they’d all been the same way, she supposed.

Heading back to their dorm to change into their uniforms for the day, not really talking, each of them lost in their own thoughts, not even really talking as they each grabbed a light snack from their fridge instead of attending the mess hall for a busy breakfast. Considering their current situation, it felt wrong to leave her bow back in their dorm, but if there was anywhere they were safe it had to be the academy, right?

No. That didn’t feel true. Not now that they knew their enemy was here, right under their noses, and it drove her crazy that whoever it was could slip under her radar so easily.

What was she ignoring? What was she passing over?

She knew she could be inattentive and distracted, but this was too important to allow that to keep happening.

Glancing over at Shina, the boy’s face blank and hardened steel, she knew he felt the same way. Their team leader was doubting himself again, lately. She knew the look in his eyes, the change in his tone of voice, even the way he held his weapon. They were all doing the best they could, but it had gotten Kylar seriously hurt and had terrified Chrystal to a point she had cried herself to sleep, which she hadn’t done since her last phase of having nightmares.

If she started having them again because of whatever had happened, Tacita swore to herself she’d fill the evil bastard with arrows.

Making their way to their classes for the day, barely any of them took notes, though Kylar tried his best as he always did. Tacita tried to keep her eyes on the other three, but for the most part they were fine, just lost and far away. Chrystal undoubtedly thinking about everything that had happened to her yesterday, Kylar still introspective and occasionally rubbing his side with a wince, and Shina...he was simply lost.  
Quicker than she thought, it came to their last ‘class’ of the day, which had been replaced with final tournament registrations. When asked to confirm their participation, Shina entered their team name wordlessly and gave Glynda a polite nod, getting a concerned frown in response, but she let it go.

But then it came time for a moment of excitement that all four of them had been impatiently waiting for, and Tacita was glad when they all perked up for it and smiles emerged on their faces. 

It was time for their first visit up to the arena.

Granted, it was just so their weapons could be checked over to see if they met tournament standards and were in good enough condition for competitive combat, but they still got to enjoy the view, and as the airjet took them up Chrystal was bouncing in her seat, her eyes wide and alive once again, while Shina watched her with an amused glimmer in his eyes.

“Why are you so utterly excited about this, anyway? Is it the fact it’s up in the sky?” Shina gave her a smirk, and got a happy shrug in response.

“It’s the arena. The size, the style. Designed for the sort of combat that you and I have always dreamed of doing. Shina this, _this_ , is what we trained for, even before we started training how to fight Grimm.” Chrystal said purposefully, the excited shine in her eye being briefly replaced by a focused glow.

Kylar and Tacita shared a look, and while it was a smile there was a certain emotion underneath it, the two of them having their own thoughts about the exact way their other two teammates had been trained. But they seemed happy, and they were strong, and that was what mattered. And from the excitement on Chrystal’s face, they wouldn’t dream of taking it away.  
As the airjet landed and the landing gear hissed as the weight settled, Chrystal immediately stood, almost getting scolded by Firenei who immediately recognised that it was the girl who couldn’t get knocked over who was standing up, and she simply rolled her eyes and stood up as well.

As the two dozen students on board exited, other airjets in the process of unloading as well, Chrystal had a bounce in her step and gave a grin to the others, Shina sharing it and rolling his eyes affectionately, meanwhile Kylar and Tacita took each others hands as they all walked together, having to pause for a few moments as Chrystal diverted to skip over to the very edge of the platform and looking over the edge, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open at just how high up they were.

“Holy moly…” She muttered, her shocked expression morphing into a wide grin, giggling at the view below, the setting sun casting a gorgeous orange glow over what she could see far below them.

“Hey come on, or soon we’ll be the last ones inside.” Shina called out to her with a patient and fond smile, snapping her out of her wonder and having her skip back over, the four of them heading inside into the massive administration area of the arena, where teams were lining up in (relatively) neat lines for their weapons to be inspected.

Sighing, Tacita slid her bow and quiver from her shoulders to hand over, Chrystal unbuckling her harness with a grumble at the thought of handing her gear over to be scrutinised and potentially criticised in front of all their classmates, _and_ the competitors from the other academies.  
Tapping her foot impatiently as they gradually got closer to the front of the line, Chrystal tried her best not to look at the weapons of the other teams, wanting to be surprised by whoever they were thrown up against, meanwhile Tacita had to work agonisingly hard to keep her vision restricted so she wouldn’t see either. It wasn’t working, but she was trying. Meanwhile Kylar had no shame at all about staring at everyone’s gear.  
Reaching the front of the line, they were beckoned forward towards a table where a tournament official that they didn’t recognise stood, sorting through the files until he pulled out each of their tournament registration forms, and sorting them into order of letter in their team name.

“Shina Kamisari, you first please.”

Nodding, Shina passed over Hornet’s Kiss with only slight hesitation, the custom forged curved blade still able to glimmer even under basic fluorescent lights. The man raised an eyebrow at it and scanned the registration sheet.

“Hornet’s Kiss. Curved hand-and-a-half longsword, single-edge? Draw it please”

Shina obediently drew it from its sheath and laid the bare blade down on the table, some of the nearby teams muttering to each other as they looked at it. In many ways Hornet’s Kiss was a unique form of weapon among Huntsmen in a strangely simple way;

It had no ranged application.

It was a sword.

No machinery, no secondary mode.

Nothing.

It was a pure close-combat sword. And not only that, but Shina didn’t carry _any_ secondary ranged weapons like almost all Huntsmen did. _None_.

But while the teams from other Academies muttered in a mixture of confusion and judgement, none of the students from Vale questioned it. They knew his rankings. Plenty of them had seen him in action before, either in combat training or, more recently, at the breach. The official’s eyebrow raised higher, and he made a curious hum in the back of his throat, before lifting the blade from the table and studying it, examining the edge and checking the hilt and guard for any damage that could be risky in heavy combat. Nodding in satisfaction, he passed it back for Shina to sheath and take back, and he ticked it off on the scroll tablet he held.

“Thank you. Kylar Goroesi, you’re next please.”

Shina stepped to the side and raised his eyebrows at Kylar as he passed, a silent conversation between the two of them having Kylar give a small grin that vanished immediately upon handing over Myriadisca incredibly hesitantly, which the official noticed and gave a reassuring nod to him as Kylar placed it down on the table.  
The official checked the file.

“Myriadisca. Custom-designed quarterstaff with dust storage and dust access capabilities? Open the casings for inspection, please.”

Without a word, Kylar lifted the staff from the table and twisted the right sections to engage the gears, which obediently opened the sections for the loading and sorting of crystals. The device got mutterings from students as well, even from Vale students, since Kylar avoided participating in combat class as little as possible, actually making him the wild card, since almost nobody knew his Semblance either.  
Combat wasn’t enjoyable for him, it was just part of the job. The official tried hiding a look of fascination as he looked over the unique device, being unlike any weapon he’d seen before, due to the uniqueness of Kylar’s form of Semblance. A Semblance that he’d kept secret very well until the breach.

Nodding, the official ticked it off on the form, and Kylar twisted the lock section and all the compartments clicked closed, taking it from the table and stepping aside without being prompted.

“Tacita Everweb, please.”

With a hum of ascent, Tacita placed her bow and quiver on the table, making sure to click her bow for it to properly extend into its proper form.

“Penumbral Ethos. Composite compound bow with a dual shortsword secondary form, collapsable, with joined remote-controlled quiver able to hold up to fifty arrows. Activate the quiver please.”

Reading out what it was, it drew the loudest mutterings of interest and surprise so far. While melee weapons such as Hornet’s Kiss were uncommon, they still appeared, meanwhile bows _never_ appeared anymore. They were a forgotten weapon style, abandoned when guns became commonplace. These days bows were just in story books about ‘the old days’ and old folk tales, no-one even _considered_ them viable anymore compared to firearms.

But here was one, and it was going to be used in the Vytal Tournament.

Plenty of the other teams looked on with interest, even ones that had been ignoring before.

Wordlessly, but unable to stop herself from seeing all the attention she was getting, Tacita clicked the switch on the grip of her bow and the quiver hummed to life and synced with the dials on the bow itself.  
Picking up the bow, she shifted the dials to demonstrate how the quiver rotated and shifted the different arrows in response.  
Nodding, the official was working even harder to hide his fascination, as he ticked it off on his tablet and gestured for Tacita to move along. She gave him a polite smile as she clicked her bow closed and took it away.

Leaving just Chrystal, who stepped forward without her name yet being called.  
Placing her weapon harness on the table, she drew the two blades from their sheaths, placing them next to each other on the table, and then her pistols, clicking them to take the empty magazines from them and then cocking them both to prove there weren’t any bullets in the chambers, placing them down on the table as well.

Raising an eyebrow at her attitude, the official swiped to her file and looked down at the table with a curious sigh. “Obscuri Tempest. Twin shortswords, darkened and non-reflective. Twin handguns, 9mm standard with modified 28-round magazines. I notice there are sheaths on your harness currently empty?”

“Saving up for a set of throwing knives. Can’t afford them yet.” Chrystal shrugged, crossing her arms, and after a short moment of looking at her the official nodded in understanding and noted it down on her file, checking it off.

“Alright Team SKTC, you’re all validated. Thank you.”

Quickly reassembling all of her gear and rebuckling her harness, she gave a small smile and nod before stepping away and joining where the other three were sitting down on a nearby bench, Tacita with her eyes closed as she tried to ignore the sheer amount of information around her, while Shina and Kylar were simply talking between each other.

As she sat down, Chrystal noticed a girl from a Haven team looking at her curiously, and she raised her eyebrows in question, making sure it was curious and not accusational. The girl gave her a smile and tilted her head.

“Why aren’t your blades and guns combined? All of your weapons are separate, isn’t that inconvenient? Most people combine the two in our designs.”

“The man who started my training when I was a kid got messed up on a mission because he got disarmed and had no back-up. While he made sure we wouldn’t have that problem by teaching us how to fight unarmed, I figured an additional solution was just to have more weapons. If I lose a sword, I still have a gun. That sort of thing.” She gave a simple shrug, and the girl frowned and nodded in understanding, smiling in agreement.

“That makes sense. That’s actually a pretty clever workaround, I never thought about it that way.” She gave a smile, and Chrystal made sure to smile back.

“What about you? What’s yours, if you don’t mind sharing?”

“Oh not at all! Here.” The girl shuffled over, switching to a closer bench despite the questioning looks of her teammates. “This is Evergreen Tenacity.”

A double-headed beard-axe, the blade edges clearly dust-infused, but the large shaft of the handle had a strange design to it that had Chrystal raise her eyebrows at the girl. The girl giggled and, lifting it, flicked a switch that caused a mechanism to rapidly fold up the axe heads and split the weapon in two vertically, both sides quickly taking on the form of large barrelled shotguns.

Smirking down at the girl’s twin weapons, Chrystal raised an eyebrow. “Not many shotgun designs here in Vale.”

“Not many back home for me either. To confess something, I mostly picked the design when I was younger because I like how shotguns sound.” The girl lowered her voice secretively, getting a giggle from Chrystal who nodded in understanding.

“So, I’m Chrystal, you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, wow I’ve been rude. I’m Alice.” Alice clicked her weapon back together so she had a free hand, and offered Chrystal a fistbump, Chrystal grinning and gladly doing so. 

Even though she was in a relationship with Petyr, she couldn’t deny that Alice was _cute_ . Messy brown hair of a slightly lighter shade than her own that would clearly be beneath shoulder length if it wasn’t currently tied up in a rushed bun, she was a snake faunus without question, the small fangs gave it away. Slightly tanned skin and slitted and sharp green eyes that were slightly darker than Cypher’s, slightly pointed ears, overall a face that Chrystal’s brain was all too happy to describe as ‘incredibly pretty’.  
A quick flick up and down made it clear to Chrystal that Alice was likely slightly shorter than her, and while she wasn’t as muscular she was just as lean, with only slightly more curve. Dressed casually in ripped jeans that had a slit for her elegant tail that was wrapped around her waist out of the way, a loose black t-shirt, and a dark brown Haven hoodie that she had unzipped, Alice gave off an air of casual relaxation that Chrystal immediately found to be soothing.

“Nice to meet you.” Chrystal nodded with a hum.

“And you.” Alice gave a wide smile and sat back, folding her hands behind her head with her weapon resting on her lap. “I’ve never been to Vale before, never been outside Mistral at all actually. It’s much busier here than back home.”

“I would have thought Haven would be packed.” Chrystal sat back and crossed her arms.

“Oh it is! Sure, lots of people. But this place has more…” Alice tilted her head as she looked for the right word. “ _Activity_. Lots of factories, and the docks, and warehouses, and everything really.”

“That’s fair. It took me a lot of getting used to when I first came here. The island I’m from is mostly forest and cliffs. It’s hard to find peace and quiet here.”

“It’s pretty easy for us back home. Take ten steps out of the city and you’re in the trees. But in contrast, it’s _much_ easier to find somewhere for a good meal here.” Alice gave a friendly shrug as she offered the compromise, winking cheekily, and Chrystal smiled again. Alice raised her eyebrows in a question. “Got any recommendations?”

“Depends, do you like spicy?”

“I’m from Mistral, we practically invented it.”

As the two girls went back and forth, Shina casually listened in as his conversation with Kylar wound down, the other boy talking to Tacita, leaving Shina to close his eyes and doze as conversation happened on either side of him.

While Chrystal was here for the fighting, Tacita was her for the curiosity, and Kylar was here because everyone else wanted to be, Shina wanted to be in the tournament for the people. To meet them, to get an idea of them, to see everyone doing what Chrystal was doing currently.

And, sure, he wanted the fight as well. But not for the fighting for the sake of it, like Chrystal. There was a part of him that wanted to prove to fighters and people from every country on the planet that he could do this. To stand on that podium at the end of it all, or to be all too happy to lose to Pyrrha Nikos and take second place, would make it all worth it. And not for the medal, but...for the recognition.  
But the world enjoyed reminding him that he was recognised already, as he heard another team sit down right near them and then a weight appeared on his lap. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking right into Velvet’s, and he smiled as she kissed his nose, Coco making a gagging noise as she sat right nearby.

“Evening you. You look tired, everything okay?” Velvet cupped his cheek with a hand in concern as she looked at him, and sighed worried even when he nodded. “You off being the Heroes Of Beacon again?”

“Maybe. I will neither confirm nor deny, because you need plausible deniability.” Shina grinned, giving her a quick kiss as she batted him away.

“Not in public.” She whined shyly, going slightly pink and curling into him.

“You’re literally on my lap. It would take active effort on both of our parts for you to be more curled up into me.”

“Gross….” Coco sighed, lowering her glasses to raise an eyebrow, getting an eyeroll from him.

“Believe it or not, that wasn’t an innuendo this time.”

“Not that I’d complain if it was. But I took it more as a challenge.” Velvet quietly purred, blinking slowly and suggestively, before cheekily hopping off his lap and sitting across from him next to Coco, smirking as he gave her a hurt and frustrated glare.

“So you four got your registrations done?” Shina asked, but before the other team could nod Tacita cut in.

“Yes, they have, because the sheer mass of Coco’s gun hitting the table had the bench shake for a moment.” Tacita smirked, getting a dismissive shrug in response.

“Not like I broke it or anything. Oh the look on his face, it’s the same every time.” Coco said in satisfaction as she patted her handbag affectionately.

When team SPKZ finished their own registration and made their way over to join them, Chrystal immediately hopping up so Petyr could take her place and she could plop down onto his lap, it made it very difficult for Alice to give Petyr the same introductory fistbump she’d offered Chrystal, but they managed it, Alice raising her eyebrows in amusement at Chrystal’s unnatural balance.

Meanwhile Kirian was looking over his weapon with an annoyed frown, and Kylar raised his eyebrows. “What’s up?”

“Oh the idiot got grumpy with me, making a comment about how the constantly rotating and alternating chambers could be a danger to myself and others at the slightest malfunction. As if I don’t already know that.” Kirian rolled his eyes, but was checking over the status of each barrel and chamber regardless, mostly for something to do but also to enjoy proving the weapon’s official wrong. “Could say the same for every weapon. Nora Valkyrie has an effing grenade launcher. Not going to hear him whine about _that_ malfunctioning and blowing the girl’s torso off.”

“Knowing her, she could take it.” Tacita opened one eye and gave Kirian a shrug, and he nodded in agreement.

“I’m definitely going to enjoy watching their fight.”

“What if _you_ go up against them?” Tacita asked with an amused smirk.

“Then I feel sorry for them, and I’m still going to enjoy watching them fight.” Kirian simply shrugged, as straight-faced as possible, but he couldn’t quite hide the small glint in his eyes.

“They’ve got Nikos as well.”

“Ah. Right. I forgot about that.”

At the mention of Pyrrha, Velvet looked at Shina with raised eyebrows, curious what his current opinion was about his chances of taking out the girl, and her eyes sparkled when he gave a confident smirk in response.

“I’m looking forward to watching it.” She let out a breath and folded her hands in her lap, getting an annoyed nudge from Coco.

“That would require _us losing_.”

“I know, I know.” Velvet sighed, looking down at her folded hands. “I guess I’m just sorta...I don’t know. You guys are going to be fine, but what about me?”

“Hey, none of that.” Shina slid off his bench and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and nudging her until she looked at him. “All five of us on this bench, yourself unconsciously included, know you’ve got what it takes for this.”

“You sure?”

“I’ve sparred against you.” Shina raised his eyebrows at her in encouragement. “And so I’m absolutely sure.”

“...I hope so. I’ll try not to impress you too much, then. Don’t want to scare you.” She gave him a soft smile and gave him a gentle kiss.

Eventually, the loudspeakers crackled into life, and it was time for the teams to head back down to the ground and, for the most part, head to either the gym for crunch-time training, or straight to bed, which was the plan for Team SKTC after their long, long nights over the past week.  
Saving the world could come later, for now they needed rest.

Offering fistbumps to both Chrystal and Petyr in farewell, Alice gave everyone a big smile as she made her way back to her team, waving over her shoulder, as the three Vale teams made their way out together, all twelve of them tiredly dragging themselves back to their dorms the moment the airjet doors opened.

  
While Shina and Velvet disappeared somewhere for what Kylar assumed was going to be a very long goodnight kiss, with Chrystal and Petyr vanishing as well a few moments later, he rolled his eyes at Tacita with a smirk, before blinking in surprise when she gave him an intense look full of promises.  
But, eventually, all goodnights end in going to bed, and one by one they dragged their way there, both Shina and Chrystal pointedly ignoring the unkempt states both Kylar and Tacita were in by the time they returned, considering they were both in similar states.

With Chrystal unhealthily grabbing some chocolate from the fridge to snack on in bed before turning her lamp off, hoping the happy hormones from it would keep off any nightmares, by the time she clicked it off the other three were already fast asleep.  
Despite the terror of the previous night, the exhaustion from the nights before that mattered to her body far more, and she was asleep before she even pulled up her blankets.

  
  


One Night Until The Tournament.

  
  


+=+=+

“Why are we out here? Tournament starts tomorrow.” Chrystal asked from where she was sitting up in the branches of a tree, a leg dangling over the edge, peeling an orange in her hands.

Down below, the other three members of SKTC sat sprawled out on a massive blanket Tacita had grabbed from in town specifically for this purpose and spread out in a small grove on the edge of campus, Kylar surprisingly relieved to bask in sunlight for a while, dozing gently after eating a light lunch, but still awake enough to listen to any conversation.  
Shina answered from his own spot, sitting with his back against the tree and a small piece of wood in his hands that he was carefully carving with a small dagger, having been determined to pick up a hobby considering the fact he could barely read.

“We’ve been training to death, we’ve been busy as all hell in the city, and so we’re exhausted to the point we’re in hardly any state to fight any drawn-out match. So, nothing wrong with a bit of rest and recovery, I think we’ve earned one. Now that we know how the rotation works, for all we know we could be fighting _tomorrow_. So, some recharging was in order.”

Counting off on her fingers as she laid on her back reading a book, Tacita nodded. “Mission in Mountan Glenn, the cave rescue, the breach, our espionage and getting out of our depth. I haven’t had a proper sleep in weeks.”

“Fair points, all around.” Chrystal agreed as she took a bit of her orange and hummed to herself, enjoying the view from being up high. Raising an eyebrow as she caught sight of movement, she grinned. “We have guests. Did you invite them?”

“I did indeed.” Shina smiled, giving a wave to team SPKZ, the four boys bundled with their own blanket and basket of food and things to do.

“I would never have expected this sort of thing from _you_ of all people, Shina.” 

Sunny grinned as Zavraii flipped open the blanket and began to set everything down, Kirian humming to himself as he set out the food.

Grinning up at Chrystal’s determination to eat something healthy, Kirian worked to sabotage it by tossing some chocolate up to her, getting an appreciative grin in response as the girl decided to drop down and go over to her boyfriend, throwing her arms around Petyr and giving him a warm kiss, the boy getting a squeak from her as he managed to pick her up off the ground slightly.

Shuffling over, Kylar cleared more room for Zavraii to join him in laying down, the other boy having simply brought a pair of sunglasses to sunbathe, his hands behind his head before blinking when Kirian placed a wrapped sandwich onto his face, getting him to sit up again almost immediately.

Both Petyr and Chrystal decided to take up their own section of the blankets, curling up together and picking at random bits of food from each basket, Chrystal kissing him on the cheek. “You ready for tomorrow? It’s your first fight isn’t it?”

“As ready we can be.” Petyr nodded with a smile, looking down at where she was laying with her head on his chest, his back against a tree. “Are you?”

Grinning widely, she nodded enthusiastically. “I can’t wait for it, I hope we enter the rotation tomorrow, but there’s apparently no way of knowing.”

Shrugging, Petyr kissed her softly with a smile on his lips. “That’s true. All I know is that if the arena rotates a forest biome for you, it’s practically over before it starts.”

“I appreciate your faith. I’m sorry your parents couldn’t make it.” She sighed into his chest, shuffling closer.

“It’s okay, they’re going to watch it live. Apparently their entire lab intends on it.” He chuckled, but there was an underlying embarrassment to it that had her smirk into his chest. “So absolutely no pressure, just everyone I’ve respected since I was a kid watching me lose.”

“You won’t lose. You guys are maybe the one team _we’re_ nervous about fighting”

“Thank you!” Sunny called over with a smirk from where he was sitting and eating, with Chrystal then poking her tongue out at him.

“Stop listening in!”

“Stop talking so loudly.”

“Stop...well...I don’t know. Screw you.” Chrystal glared at him playfully, before kissing Petyr’s cheek again.

Tilting her head up with a finger under her chin, Petyr kissed her softly for a few moments before breaking it off with a sad smile. “I hate that I’m only here for another two weeks.”

“Yeah…” Chrystal thinned her lips and her eyes went soft. “We get a few weeks' holiday between each year, I could come visit you at the end of the year for a fortnight or so?”

“You sure you could handle the cold?” He grinned, and she raised an eyebrow in response before purring into him.

“I trust you to keep me warm.”

Pausing for a moment as his heart jumped, he nodded in enthusiastic agreement, giving a soft smile. “Well, I know my parents want to meet you, so you’d be more than welcome.”

“Wait, your _parents_ know about me?” She squeaked with wide eyes.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t they?”

Feeling her face immediately rush pink, she tried her best to hide it by hiding in his chest, but she clearly didn’t do a good job as he kissed the top of her head.

“Is it not normal for me to call my parents and go ‘Mum, dad, I may have the biggest crush on a girl I took to the Vytal dance.’?”

“You’re making it worse.” Mumbling into his chest, she poked him in the stomach.

Sighing innocently, he sat back. “I know.”

“You were so much shyer when we first met.” Still grumbling, she looked up at him, the blush having not entirely faded. “I used to make you stammer and blush, where did that boy go?”

“Still here. But I’ve had the most wonderful teacher.” Taking her hand in his, he softly kissed the palm of her hand before placing it on his cheek softly, and she smiled warmly before leaning in to kiss him for a few moments.

Snuggling into each other for a while, Petyr felt when Chrystal’s head drooped as she dozed off, and he gently rearranged them so she was laying on his chest more comfortably, and he kissed the top of her head before closing his own eyes to doze off under the warm sun.

Looking over at them, Shina smiled softly to himself as he kept carving the wood, intending on making a basic horse shape. Sitting across from him reading, Sunny’s eyes flicked up to him before following his gaze to Petyr and Chrystal, and he smiled.

“She’s made him very happy. I’ve never known him to be as relaxed and confident as he has been since meeting her.”

“I was just thinking the same thing but for her. She’s only ever had one serious relationship before this one and that one was more _exciting_ than it was _warm_. Seeing the way he relaxes her and helps her open up…” Shina nodded in affectionate approval before looking back to Sunny in agreement. “They’ve been good for each other. Let’s just hope the effects they’ve had on each other last once they part ways, even if just for a little while.”

“Agreed. The three of us are more than comfortable admitting that Petyr is the best of us. Maybe not as a fighter, but as a person. He would have made a great team leader.” Sunny glanced back over at them, looking at his friend with a fond shine. “It wasn’t a sense of duty or want of excitement that had him sign up. It was purely the conviction that good should be done.”

“I’m still not entirely sure why Chrystal wanted to become a Huntsman, but I think that he’s been helping her figure it out, even if he doesn’t know it.” Shina smiled, going back to carving.

“She really is your sister, isn’t she.” Sunny said with raised eyebrows, knowing about Shina and Chrystal’s situation.

“Closer than any brother and sister could be.” Shina said it simply, without a single note of doubt in his voice, and Sunny sat back for a moment before nodding in acceptance of the answer, the two of them falling back into a comfortable silence, the only remaining chatter being between Kylar and Kirian, and a quiet talk between Tacita and Zav.

As the sun passed through the late morning and eventually even passing midday, eventually the sound of a throat being cleared had all of their attention snap up as Professor Goodwitch stood with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

“When I was told that all four members of team SKTC were absent from their classes, I was able to pass it off as you simply being off doing what it is you seem determined to do. But when I was then informed that team SPKZ were _also_ absent was when I grew concerned. Concerned that the four of you had dragged them into your schemes. But, no, instead you’re having...a picnic.”

“I thought the competing teams had today off, ma’am.” Shina looked up at her and raised his eyebrows pleadingly, and after a long moment she relented.

“For _training_ and _preparation,_ Mr Kamisari. But...considering this is a far healthier and less stressful activity than your usual, I suppose I can pass it off as recuperation.” Giving him a stern yet rather gentle look, the smallest hint of a smile, she paused for a moment before giving the news she knew he wouldn’t like. “However, Professor Ozpin has asked to speak with you, Mr Kamisari.”

“All four of us, or just me?”

“Just you, I’m afraid.”

“Ugh.” Shina groaned in annoyance as he rose to his feet, placing his half-finished horse and carving knife back into the basket, the others giving him a sympathetic look as he began to follow Professor Goodwitch.

Looking over her shoulder, Goodwitch gave the others a soft smile. “Enjoy your rest, students. You’ve all certainly earned it, I suppose.”

As she turned, her eyes passed over where Chrystal and Petyr were dozing, and her eyes paused on the peaceful look on Chrystal’s face. Smiling warmly to herself at the rare sight, but keeping it a small smile, she began to head towards Ozpin’s office with Shina in tow.

“I genuinely have no idea what he thinks I’ve done this time.” Shina looked to her as they walked, and she thinned her lips.

“No, no I don’t believe it is about that. Not this time.”

“You can’t even give me a hint?”

“I’m afraid I’m as in the dark about this as you are, I just know I was asked to collect you after I last spoke to him.”

“Great.” He sighed in exasperation, getting a stern raised eyebrow from her, and he straightened up. “Sorry, long few weeks.”

“I understand. I wish the four of you wouldn’t do what it is you do. But I also cannot stop you. I just fear the day you don’t all come back.” She said seriously, getting a blink from him, but she didn’t continue, simply pressing the button for Ozpin’s office in the elevator.

Taking the ride up into the tower in silence, Professor Goodwitch knocked on Ozpin’s door politely, frowning when there was a slight delay before she heard him call them in, and she opened the door for the two of them to step in, revealing that General Ironwood was also in the office.

“Thank you Glynda, I trust they weren’t up to any sort of trouble?”

“Oh nothing of the sort. I found the eight of them enjoying quite the picnic.” Professor Goodwitch walked to her usual place.

Ozpin gave an amused chuckle and gestured for Shina to step closer. “Making sure to make the best of your day off, Shina?”

“Yes sir, I decided we needed this. We’re all tired.”

“Yes, I imagine you are.” General Ironwood cut in, his hands folded behind his back and a stern expression on his face. “Your team has been rather busy. Mr Kamisari, you’ve all been seen either individually or in groups, primarily yourself, Mr Goroesi, and Ms Everweb, travelling through the city at all hours of the night or morning. Frequently enough that the Knights system flagged you as suspicious.”

“...ah. That. Morning runs?” Shina shrugged with a pleading look that immediately evaporated with a sigh. But quietly he did note that Chrystal hadn’t been mentioned. The girl was clearly getting better at moving around unseen, which could prove useful. “Yeah there’s no selling it, is there. What can I do for you sir? I wasn’t aware that going about our business in the city was suddenly illegal now that the Atlas military are patrolling the streets, is there a military curfew I am unaware of?”

Ironwood’s eyes narrowed for a moment at the snipe, with Shina clearly hitting some sort of sore point that Shina was unaware of, and Shina noticed. Not only that, but Ozpin saw Shina notice, the boy's eyes glinting for the briefest moment as his mind fired off.

“No, of course not. The only reason you’ve been flagged is that on more than a few of these ventures you’ve been seen armed with your weapons. Considering the state of high alert in the city due to recent events, I’m sure you can understand our concern.” Ironwood’s voice was stern, bordering on accusational but not _quite_ there. “Are the four of you in some sort of danger we are unaware of that has you feeling the need to be armed in public?”

Under the stare of all three of them, Shina didn’t feel particularly confident about selling any sort of lie or evasion, especially not in front of Ozpin. And he also couldn’t deny that Ironwood made him feel nervous. The man was intense, and powerful.

There weren’t many options.

“We are aware of the dangers in the city, sir. Our report from our mission, Tacita and Kylar attempting to intercept the person who intruded on the communications tower, the fight at the docks at the end of last year and the highway chase earlier _this_ year. We’re anxious. And distrustful.”

“You’re _investigating_.” Ironwood said flatly, crossing his arms in front of him. “That much is obvious. Why?”

And at the look he was getting, Shina couldn’t bite it back.

“Someone has to.”

There was a moment of pause as what he said hit into the three adults, before Ironwood’s eyebrows raised. “I see. You have doubt in our ability and _willingness_ to maintain law and order.”

“Well you’ve done such a _smashing_ job so far.” At the look he was getting, Shina was all too reminded of how his father used to look at him, and the similarity had the First Cut threatening to open just under the surface of his skin to protect him from a threat he was used to expecting.

“Shina, enough please.” Ozpin cut in before Ironwood could respond, the man also looking agitated and willing to engage with an insubordinate student. Ozpin pinned Shina with a firm stare. “We are doing all we can to maintain order in the city and keep everyone safe. There have been no events of note since the battle in the town square, and we are willing to believe that is due to our increased security. 

We simply wish to know what it specifically is you and your team are so concerned about.”

Taking in a deep breath to let it out slowly and attempt to calm down, Shina clenched and unclenched his hands slowly, something which Ironwood noticed with a raised eyebrow.

“We no longer believe the school to be safe, it’s become even to any of the students paying attention that whatever is happening...the campus is the nexus. Not all of the White Fang were apprehended after the town square incident, and the four of us aren’t so stupid as to believe that Roman Torchwick was entirely behind it. Whoever the main enemy is, the main orchestrator is, they’re out there. And clearly out for blood.”

“Wouldn’t that mean it is a true danger for you and your team to openly investigate what’s going on?” Ironwood said with a stern look and a slow sigh. “You are endangering yourselves, and potentially muddying the waters to prevent the Atlas military from conducting our investigations effectively.”

Clenching his jaw, Shina broke his looks and glanced off to the side, no longer able to handle being stared at the way he was. “You have lost our trust, sir.”

“That does not give you any sort of individual authority.”

“We do not need your _permission_ to walk the streets and talk to people, _sir_ .” Shina’s eyes shot back to the General, and the man almost blinked at the look in Shina’s eyes. “But _you_ need us to trust _you_ in order for us to have any respect for obeying when you _ask_ us to stay out of it.”

The General clenched his jaw and his eye twitched, and after a few breaths he spoke sternly and almost venomously. “You impressed me upon our first meeting, Mr Kamisari. But you clearly are your father’s son.”

That did it, the thin thread of self-control Shina had left snapped and the first cut opened. The three adults watching as his skin slightly paled and the slightest sign of his aura appeared rippling beneath paled skin.  
While the General simply raised his eyebrows, Ozpin knew it was time to set in and de-escalate as much as possible.

“Shina Kamisari is nothing like his father, General. I believe that it a truly unfair comparison, when what drives Shina’s nature is the fact he clearly wishes to do good.” Ozpin gave a look to the General, and then looked to Shina. “I believe you are able to recover your self-control, Shina. Now would be the time. You’re safe here, that was an unfair comment. I’m afraid the General is unaware of the current situation with your father.”

Looking away and hissing in frustration and effort, Shina slowly managed to fade what he was feeling, the aggressive energy in his bones, and he felt his Semblance fade closed, immediately slumping from where he was standing as the _slight_ drain from his aura being drained kicked in. Luckily Professor Goodwitch saw it coming and had moved a chair closer to him just in case he fell entirely, but he didn’t.

Noticing, both Ozpin and Goodwitch resisted the urge to glance at each other. Shina was growing accustomed to the aftereffects of the cuts faster than they thought. Even the first cut had been enough to hurt him only a few months ago.

“General, I do believe this conversation would be more constructive if you left us to it.” Professor Ozpin said with a unique tone, a mixture of casual but also stern at the same time, which was a combination Shina knew only Ozpin seemed to be capable of.

“Oh? This directly concerns the Atlas military and his team’s interference with it, Oz. I believe this involves me entirely.”

“I will update you on everything relevant from the following conversation, you know I will.” Ozpin looked to Ironwood, and the man wanted to protest but seemed to relent under the headmaster’s stare.

With a final long stare to Shina, General Ironwood left the room at a disciplined pace, anger in every step, but he left the room anyway.

“I do apologise, Shina. The General would have no way of knowing of the current situation with your father, he only has his own history with the man to think back to.”

“I understand…” Shina sighed, running a hand over his face and through his hair. “The man directly reminds me of him. If he looks at his own students that way…”

“General Ironwood is a firm headmaster, but also carries the burden of being in charge of the largest military in the world.” Ozpin nodded in understanding, sharing a look with Professor Goodwitch.

After another moment of quiet, Goodwitch took a step closer, concern in her voice. “Are you alright?”

“Peachy. Don’t worry, I’ve got it back locked away.”

“I’m afraid, Shina, that is the other key reason I wished to speak with you.” Ozpin asked gently, templing his hands in his desk and giving the boy a concerned look. “This tournament involves highly stressful combat scenarios. And both Professor Goodwitch and Professor Firenei had noticed that you have been holding back in combat training, and have grown less willing to use your Semblance. How far are you able to access it?”

Pausing and biting the inside of his cheek, Shina sucked in a slow breath. It was a question he had been doing his best to avoid answering. Folding his hands back so he could grip them tightly without being noticed, he folded.

“Five stages.”

“You’ve reached the fifth stage of progression?” Goodwitch raised her eyebrows, bringing out her tablet scroll and quickly opening his file, including the fluctuations in his aura readings over the months. “And you didn’t think to alert us? Semblance evolution is important information, Shina. Especially with a Semblance like your own.”

“You mean as destructive and dangerous as my own. You’re checking to see if I’m going to be able to control it during the tournament.” Shina nodded in understanding, but an insecure understanding, managing to hold Ozpin’s stare. “I can hold it, sir. It still takes an active effort to reach the fourth stage, I won’t go above third and even then I won’t go that far if I can help it.”

Giving a smirk, he finished up with a raised eyebrow. “Might save it for Pyrrha Nikos in the grand final. Something nice and flashy for the cameras that she hasn’t seen before.”

Giving a chuckle, Ozin nodded as if confirming a suspicion. “The respect you both have for each other is very special. She also works on the assumption it will be you she will face off against at the end. Your confidence in each other, in the abilities of another Huntsman not even within your team, is good to see.”

“But the point remains. Your Semblance is dangerous not just to yourself, but to others as well.” Professor Goodwitch spoke up, and Shina gave her as reassuring a look as possible.

“I intend on using anything beyond the second stage as little as possible. Considering one of the two types of elimination is if our aura drops below 15%, I intend on hesitating before using a Semblance that actively drains it. And I know Kylar is the same way.”

“Considering his _own_ actions recently, that’s a relief to hear.” Professor Goodwich sighed as she flipped through different screens on her tablet.

Meanwhile Ozpin nodded and looked back to Shina.

“However it is important to ask Shina, what are the four of you up to? Just because she has not been seen or flagged by the Atlesian Knights, I am perfectly willing to believe Ms Wasara is just as caught up in this as the rest of you.”

“Exactly as you are assuming sir. We’re investigating, poking our noses in. A while ago now you told me a moment might come where I decide that our time on the bench is over and it is time for us to act. The moment Kylar almost died because of the actions of the enemies that the Atlas military failed to catch? _That_ was the moment.” Shina said as firmly as possible, with as much conviction as he could place into every word, going so far as to tap a finger on the man’s desk.

Giving the boy a long look, Professor Ozpin couldn’t help but give a small smile. “And I did say that when you did so, the forces against us will regret giving you that motivation. But, the Atlas military is not one of those forces.”

Shina was silent for a while, grinding his jaw, before replying.

“I wish we had it in us to believe that, sir.”

“You’re talking as if you have some grounded reason for distrusting them, Mr Kamisari.” Ozpin sat forward and templed his hands in front of his face. “Is there anything you think we should know?”

Not sure how to answer, not _wanting_ to answer, not wanting to share a single bit of the information they had gathered, Shina knew he was quiet for quite a few seconds too long before he answered.

“Nothing comes to mind, sir.”

“And the clues you’ve been following out in the city?”

“Simply following up on Torchwick’s gang and what they might be up to now that he’s in prison, but they seem almost aimless now.” Shina answered that one smoothly, having thankfully prepared the answer ahead of time. But he knew that Ozpin wouldn’t buy it.

“I see.” Ozpin gave him a long unblinking look, holding his stare, and when Shina didn’t do anything besides give a helpless smile he nodded. “Then I do believe we’re done here. If you come up in the tournament rotation tomorrow, I do wish you the best of luck. We all have true faith in Team SKTC proving yourselves with distinction. Enjoy the rest of your picnic.”

“Thank you sir. We’ll make you proud.”

As Shina gave a polite nod to them both and left the room Professor Ozpin watched him leave, a sad expression growing on his face as his office doors closed.

Next to him, Professor Goodwitch shot him an almost resentful glare.

“That was your best opportunity to tell him about his father’s Semblance.”

“I know. But after Ironwood’s comment, he would not have handled it well.”

“How can you even be sure he doesn’t know already?”

“Because if he did, I don’t think he would ever use his own ever again.”

+=+=+

The sun setting began the true event of the final night before the tournament; the party.

A large collection of the teams had begged the faculty for use of the dining hall, set it all up, and were attempting to throw the largest party in Vale history to celebrate the start of the tournament and be an opportunity for the teams to mingle.  
Team SKTC were more than happy to attend, as was Team SPKZ. But it was quickly noticed when both Chrystal and Petyr vanished early, the last thing being seen by Tacita was Chrystal taking her boyfriend’s hand and leading him out of the hall with a smile on her face and a glimmer in her eyes.

Taking him by the hand, knowing that slightly behind her he was confused but also willing to go along with whatever she had planned, as he always was, she couldn’t stand even making it all the way back to her dorm before she spun and pressed him against the nearest wall, kissing him deeply, his only reaction able to be wrapping his arms around her tightly and pulling her in closer, causing her to sigh into it and press in, making him as aware of her curves as she could, and smiling to herself when it became clear that it was working.

Pulling back after a few minutes, Petyr realised that they were still in the middle of the hallway, and he blinked to come back to himself. Meanwhile Chrystal continued to stare at him with the same expression on her face, biting her lips as she waited for him to come back to reality enough to keep walking, before giving a smile and walking down the hall, swaying her hips before reaching her dorm room and unlocking it with a click, turning to lean against it and giving him a smile that was a silent and simple request.

Complying, he pressed her against the door and kissed her again as he grabbed the handle, surprising her when he lifted her to jump and wrap her legs around his waist, surprising her by him having the strength to handle her weight.

When she broke off the kiss with her gasp to look at him with surprised and viciously aroused eyes, he gave a simple smile.

“Oh I figured out some perks of your Semblance weeks ago. You don’t fall if you don’t want to fall. It’s as simple as that.”

Blinking and swallowing, she immediately pulled him into a kiss again, nipping at his bottom lip and teasing it with the tip of her tongue until he opened his mouth slightly. Teaching him how to tongue kiss had been one of the most fun experiences of her life, because by the gods he was a quick learner, and as she lost herself in it she didn’t even notice as he opened the door and carried her in, closing it with a kick of his foot behind him and taking an arm from around her briefly enough to click the lock.  
Breaking off the kiss, he looked at her with wide eyes and a hammering heart, and he took a deep and steadying breath as he looked at the barely restrained and almost animalistic look in her eyes.

“Are you...are you wanting to…”

Smiling at him lovingly, she nodded. “If you’d like to. If you think you’re ready. I’m offering. I’m all yours.”

“I…” He paused for a moment as his mind went into static at the smile she gave him, and after taking a deep breath he gave a nervous nod. She placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes properly.

“Are you _sure?_ We don’t have to. I’m always happy to just make out.”

“I’d like to. I’m ready.” He went to kiss her again, but was surprised when she jumped down from his arms and went to his neck, peppering it with kisses as she undid his shirt with nimble fingers, running her hands along a surprisingly toned torso.

His eyes fluttering closed at the static from the sensations along his neck from her talented lips and the light nips from her teeth, he almost whimpered when she broke it off.  
Peering back to meet his eyes, she took his hands in hers and placed them on the hem of her top, her eyes giving him explicit consent but also total patience. Waiting a moment, she leant in and kissed him again, keeping it deep but slow, and her heartrate hammered when she felt him starting to lift her shirt up slowly. Only breaking off the kiss when it was time to lift it over her head.  
Leaning back and taking in the view, Petyr’s eyes widened and his mouth went dry, keeping his hands on her waist as he took her in. The smile she gave him made it very clear;

She had planned and prepared for this.

Taking his hands again and placing them on the buckle of her belt, she gave him a deeply animalistic but also loving smile. “Petyr?”

“...y..yes Chrystal?”

“I’ve fallen for you _far_ too quickly. Far faster than I knew I could.” Her eyes were suddenly deeply vulnerable and questioning, terrified of rejection but also seemingly...prepared for it.

With only a moment's pause he pulled her into a kiss again, wrapping his arms around her back and pressing her against the nearest wall. Breaking off the kiss after a minute he rested his forehead against hers.

“The feeling is...very mutual. I was just scared to say it. I...”

“Yeah? You…?” She whispered, placing her hands on his neck softly, meeting his eyes.

“You’re _used_ to this. I’m..this...I didn’t know how it felt until I started to feel it with you.”

At his comment, she blinked, before the biggest smile broke out on her face and she couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh you idiot, love is different from lust. One is a language I’m fluent in, sure, the other is a language I’m still learning. And...I’m learning it with you.”

“That was a very beautiful metaphor.” Petyr gave a grin, leaning in to kiss her again, and she grinned against his lips.

“Why thank you.”

With his hands aimless, she considered inviting him to the buckle of her belt again, but as her feelings for him burst through her knowing he had accepted them and was returning them, a desire went through her. Words weren’t her strength, they were for Kylar and Shina, and she wasn’t a light who could convey her feelings purely by existing like Tacita was. Chrystal knew she was a raw physical being, she always had been, it was such a part of her that it had turned into her goddamn Semblance.  
And...there was a way she knew of to show him that she adored him. So slowly, tentatively, giving him every chance to stop her, she reached for his belt buckle. He did freeze for a moment, it wasn’t in fear, just in shock, she could tell the difference. Looking into his eyes, she rested her forehead on his and allowed all of her love and desire for him to burn into her eyes and into her voice.

“Petyr?”

“...yes Chrystal?” His voice was heavy, and it made a thrill go through her, giving her confidence to make her offer.

“I’d like to prove it to you as clearly as possible that I’m yours.”

“...how?..”

Giving him another deep kiss for a moment, she held eye contact the entire way down as she agonisingly slowly sank to her knees, not breaking her look into his eyes for a moment as she undid his belt, taking her hands off of it when it was undone.

“Petyr?”

“...yes?”

“I’m checking in again. You can stop me at any time, just either say stop or tap my head three times. I...I really want this. _So_ badly. But _far_ more than that, I want you _comfortable_ and _safe_. Are you okay with taking these steps?”

Making sure to pin his gaze with as intensely loving and patient look she could, though she couldn’t keep the lust out of her eyes, when he nodded with a shy smile she gave him a cheeky grin before reaching back and undoing the clasp of her bra, revelling in the wide-eyed look he gave her.

“You can touch later. For now I just want you to...see me. I want you to watch me give myself to you. To prove to you that I belong to you any and every moment.” Unbuttoning his jeans, she kept his gaze the entire way as she pulled them down, followed by his underwear. The sheer look that appeared on her face had him gasp just from seeing the look in her eyes.

And, keeping her eyes on him, she slowly worshipped him. He was a virgin, and an innocent one, but she’d taken virginities before and knew the pace and tricks, wanting to drag it out as long as possible for him, wanting to watch as he broke and everything he was became enslaved to her more and more in each continuing moment of torture.

Petyr was a shy and introverted boy, a loving and kind one. She’d never met someone as good-hearted, as pure, and as patient. Falling in love with such a man had been easy for someone as lost and aching as she was.

So when such a shy and patient boy couldn’t resist putting a hand in her hair she grinned in victory, and happily sped up, not denying him anymore until she had him. When he broke she couldn’t help but giggle in the greatest rush of satisfaction she had felt in a long time, looking up into his eyes and trying to tell him _everything_ she could.

When he came back to himself, impressing her by being able to remain standing, she sat back and smiled up at him, and when he noticed her mouth was empty he almost collapsed all over again.

Helping him step out of his jeans entirely properly, she rose to her feet and took his hands in hers again, gently tracing the palms of his hands with her fingertips and waiting for him to come back to himself.

When he came back to himself, he went to kiss her but she stopped him with a frown.

“Are you sure? A lot of guys don’t like to, just after…”

“...that just seems rude. Denying the girl of kisses after she just did...uhh...that.” He blinked, genuinely confused yet again, and she couldn’t help but giggle brighter than she had in far too many years.

“Oh you pure, innocent, wonderful man. Come here you.”

Pulling him to her she led him to her bed and laid herself back on it, looking up at him with a fierce and inviting look. “I’m all yours. Don’t be scared, I’ll guide you and help you. Take it slow, take all the time you need. As far as you want to go. As I’ve said plenty of times so far; I’m all yours.”

He took his time with the patience of a technician and programmer, almost agonisingly slowly and intimately, reducing her to a whimpering mess even before he finished pulling her jeans from her legs. Either she was more sensitive than normal, or the goddamn idiot was a fast learner _yet again_. She didn’t care either way.

Her heart doing what it was when she looked at him, it was probably both. And a rush went through her yet again.

“Would you like me to return the favour? For what you did earlier?”

When he asked in a shy but _aching_ voice her brain immediately turned into shocked static, her eyes widening as she looked up at him, the man having just spent a great deal of time learning how to make her cry on the edge just by teasing her neck and chest. The look in his eyes was honest and aroused.

He genuinely wanted to.

At the look he was giving her, the look telling her how badly he wanted her, how much he wanted to make _her_ feel good, she could only nod, the ability to speak vanishing as his fingers hooked into the band of her underwear and pulling them down her legs slowly. She knew she was beginning to hyperventilate, the edges of her vision going fuzzy even as he was just shuffling down the bed.

And then, stars.

She belonged to him. She didn’t care how long. She didn’t care about the distance between where they lived.

He looked at her like she wasn’t just a rough-edged traumatised mentally-ill...all of those things. He looked at her like she was his everything, even though he _knew_ about those parts of her. Petyr had held her during her panic attacks, had calmed her down during an episode or two, had never argued or been frustrated when she’d called him in the middle of the night after a nightmare filled with the memories of smoke and fire. He’d always come to meet her.

And she did everything she could for him, and _always would_ . This pure, powerful, intelligent, _good_ man needed to be protected and adored, and reassured every time he slipped and his insecurity threatened to come back. And god damn, she swore she’d do it.

She wasn’t sure when she started crying happy tears, she wasn’t sure how many orgasms in, but she knew that she was, with a hand covering her mouth. Every time he stopped to check in on her she would gently stroke his hair to reassure him and give him consent again. And, once again, the fucking impossible man was a rapid learner. As per goddamn usual.

Eventually he stopped, and slid up her body to kiss her and hold her and stroke away her tears so softly with his thumb she could barely feel the touch until she leant into his hand. The ability to speak was beyond her, and she knew it wouldn’t be coming back for a long time, maybe not for the rest of the night. She knew they had the whole night. Tacita and Kylar were staying in the city, wanting privacy for themselves, and Shina and Velvet were doing the same thing.

So Chrystal was more than happy to give herself to Petyr all night, they would stop when _he_ wanted to stop. He was kissing away her tears of joy and whispering sweet things to her that her brain couldn’t currently understand, the idea of language at all was beyond her.

But there was a way she _did_ know how to communicate.

So, gently pushing his head back to look into his eyes and ask for true consent, she reached a hand down between them to guide him into her, getting him into position and letting him make every decision from that moment, making sure to give him a look that said everything she could.

Straining so hard to focus, she managed to get the words out.

“I...I love you. You choose. I love you. We can stop here.”

And words were lost to her again, unable to hold her focus any longer.

She knew that he said _something_ , only a few syllables, but when he pushed forwards with his hips she was _gone_ , wrapping her legs around him and letting him set the pace.

The hours of the night passed on, and she didn’t keep track of how many times she gave herself to him, of how many things she taught him and showed him, of how many times she told him she loved him. But she’d been keeping track of one thing;  
He told her he loved her over twenty times.  
And he meant it.

When she’d finally worn him out, the physical fitness given and maintained by her Semblance being the only thing keeping her going, she snuggled into him and peppered kisses all over his face until he fell asleep, before pulling the blankets over them both and curling into his chest, sighing in a feeling of peace she had never known.

It was the tournament tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's tournament time now. And we all know how that goes.  
> Let's do this thing, starting next chapter.


	14. First Round's On Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vytal Tournament begins and almost all of the energy is coming from Chrystal, they're sure of it. Ready to prove what they can do, teams RWBY, SKTC, SPKZ, and CFVY stand in the arena and watch the random selection process decide who gets to let loose first.  
> At the end of the first day, in a small bar in the city where they gather for drinks to celebrate the start of the tournament, the teams start opening up to each other and realising they have more in common secretly than any of them thought.
> 
> First rounds all around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God this is a long chapter, I know I should have split it up into two parts, but I don't have it in me.

As the crowds poured into Amity Arena for the official opening ceremony of the tournament, the noise was louder than any roar, and the rest of Team SKTC watched affectionately as Chrystal bounced around excitedly, a massive grin on her face as she scrambled up onto one of the low walls to briefly get a view of the sheer number of people making their way through the massive corridors. Almost immediately getting in trouble, she hopped down and skipped her way back, rejoining them at Shina’s side.

Entering the major atrium of the arena, the competing teams were to branch off from the spectators and head towards the preparation rooms, each of them were to take to the stage as part of the opening ceremony. Before they branched off, Logan stopped them briefly, putting a hand on Kylar’s shoulder and a hand on Shina’s.

Giving them all a fiercely proud and encouraging look, he spoke firmly, a small smile in the corners of his mouth.

“Do not doubt for a single moment that you deserve to be up here. You _deserve_ to be in that ring. You _deserve_ to represent Beacon here. They’re lucky to have you. Walk with pride, walk with confidence. Let them all see you. You’ve earned it.”

While his eyes did flick between all of them, his stare was mostly into Shina’s eyes, giving the young team leader a completely confident nod that was filled with such certainty that the traces of insecurity that had been in Shina’s eyes washed away, and the boy gave a nod and small but fierce smile in return.

“Yes sir.”

“Go on then.” Logan smiled at each of them, before Tesse quickly stepped forward and embraced each of them for a brief moment, making sure to softly press her lips to Shina’s forehead for a moment.

“As an Amity runner-up myself, I can safely say I’d have been scared to face you.” She gave them each a grin, before quickly cupping Shina’s cheek and reaffirming what her husband had said to him. “Don’t doubt yourself for a moment, Shina. The other three wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, and I think they’d agree with me on that one.”

Removing her hand, she smiled when Chrystal took Shina’s arm and kissed his cheek, getting his attention so she could nod in complete agreement before letting go. With one last look to Logan and Tesse, the four of them made their way through the side hallway towards the preparation chamber off the side of the arena entrance, where all the teams were gathered.  
Unlike their last visit to the arena, this time everyone was wearing their combat uniforms and their full gear, and it made everyone an intimidating sight. Taking them all in as quickly as possible, Tacita felt a smile of excitement come across her features, and when Kylar nudged her shoulder with a grin on his face she nodded confidently.

“This is going to be the time of our lives."

“Damn straight.” Chrystal giggled, making her way over to a table to organise her gear, checking her weapons one last time before buckling on her harness, waving at the people in the room that she knew if she caught their eye.

Meanwhile Shina was gestured by Coco to join her in a small group in the corner, and with a wave to the other three that he’d be back he made his way over. Boral and Coco, were standing away from the others. The Beacon team leaders of their group of friends.

Joining the pair, Shina looked around at each of them, none of them really knowing what to say but also wanting to reassure the others.

“As someone just told me, we deserve to be here. We deserve this.” Shina said quietly but confidently, and Coco nodded with a fierce look in her eyes. Boral, forever quiet and composed, smiled with his arms folded.

“It can’t be argued that we haven’t all tried our best since arriving at Beacon. Well, my friends, this is our chance to show it.”

“Without any doubt. We’ve got this in the bag. While I’d love it to be my team, I’m pretty good if Beacon takes it in the end.” Coco smiled. When Shina noticed when teams RWBY and JNPR entered the room he waved over Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, the two looking at him with curious eyes before speaking to their teams quietly and making their way over.

“Uhh, hey guys, what’s up?” Ruby asked shyly, looking slightly anxious as she and Jaune joined the group.

“We just want to wish you guys luck, Ruby.” Shina smiled, hesitating for a moment before placing his hand on her shoulder for a moment. “We’ve all worked ourselves to the bone to deserve to be here, we can do this.”

“I sure hope so.” Jaune grumbled, nervousness rich in every layer of his tone, and Boral gripped his arm confidently to get his attention.

“You’ve worked harder than most, Jaune. We’ve noticed your skill climbing. You have _more_ than earned your place in this.”

“He’s right, Jaune.” Ruby smiled, nudging her friend with her shoulder and looking up at him with shining eyes. “You got this.”

A pause of quiet as they all looked around at each other, seeming to all take a deep breath to steel themselves at the same time, they were interrupted by the instruction over the loudspeakers for them to make their final preparations.

“Alright, let’s make Beacon proud, shall we?” Coco gave them all a final look with a raised eyebrow, stepping forward to hug Shina tightly for a moment before letting go and stepping away.

“Well, good luck Shina, and...thanks. For the confidence. I hope you’re right.” Jaune smiled nervously, giving a wave, and Ruby smiled as well before stepping away, but Shina put a hand on her shoulder again for her to pause.

“Hey Ruby?”

“Yeah Shina?” She blinked, nervous once again.

“Just wanted to let you know that even though you guys saved Kylar’s life, and that we’ve both been working against a common foe...we won’t take it easy on you.” He gave a grin and a wink as they both split up, and the nervousness on her face faded and was instead replaced with an excited enthusiasm.

“Ditto, Shina. And...thanks, for helping. Sorry to have to kick your ass.”

Making an exaggerated shocked face, Shina winked again before returning to the others, where Tacita had been listening in with a smile on her face.

“She’s a good kid.”

“I don’t think she’s much of a kid anymore.” Chrystal sighed with a glance over at where Ruby and Yang were talking excitedly. “Are any of us?”

“I think this week is our first chance to find out.” Shina said just as the loudspeaker rang an alarm for all the teams to get in line, organised by Academy.

Stepping into their place, the Beacon Academy teams were entering the arena first as the hosting academy. Chrystal nudged his shoulder and he looked over at her, smiling at the fire in her eyes.

“Let’s do this.”

“This is about to be very, very loud.” He smirked, before Chrystal nodded in joy and rearranged with Kylar and Tacita so they were all standing in the team order of their initials. Shina and Kylar gave each other a more serious look, but just as confident and assured.

As the arena doors opened, the teams made their way in one by one in alphabetical order, SKTC right behind RWBY, and Shina was right. Stepping out into the arena itself, the noise was unbelievable, and Kylar briefly grabbed Tacita’s hand to ground her as it threatened to knock her off her feet before she steadied herself.  
Making their way to their place, they made sure to look around at every part of the arena, likely the only true time in the tournament apart from the finals where every seat would be full, and Chrystal almost squealed when she caught the cameras moving over them on the massive screen, broadcasting them to the entire world.  
The cameras were pausing on each individual team for a few moments, and eventually it reached them.

Unable to resist, she gave a confident wink and a grin to the cameras, and heard as there was an ever so slight increase in cheering from the people from Vale for a few moments. She straightened up even taller, the confident smile never leaving her face.

Next to her, able to see her face even despite not turning her head to look at her, Tacita felt a fire of pride in herself for her, and glanced over with a smile, watching for a moment as Chrystal continued to look around at the filled stands in awe and eagerness.

Meanwhile Shina felt similarly, but in a slightly different way. He was standing tall, his hands behind his back and his eyes weren’t _fiery,_ instead they were _glowing_ with the same excitement and confidence. The other night, Chrystal had been right. This is what the two of them had trained for, and as he looked around at the stands with his head held high he felt every drop of insecurity wash away.  
Rubbing his thumb on his palm behind his back, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the confidence not leaving his posture for a moment. He could feel the heat radiating off of Yang despite the few paces of distance between them, and a quick glance showed she was doing everything she could to restrain her own excitement, a shining smile on her face. She seemed to know he was looking at her and she glanced back at him.

The two of them nodded in confidence not just in themselves but in each other, before looking back at the crowds.

As the last of the Vacuo teams filtered in and took their place, there was half a minute of pause to simply allow the crowd to cheer and the cameras to spend a small amount of time on each team one by one, their team names popping up in the corner of the screen each time.

But eventually, the loud speakers rang out as Professor Port, given the job as one of the two announcers, spoke.

“Our students, our Huntsmen, stand today as a symbol of the strength and unity that our world has managed to achieve and maintain in eighty years of peace, eighty years of growth. Together, these students are the embodiment of the hope we all have to continue to grow and protect a safe world. They do not simply represent their individual Academies, they represent what our world as a whole has become, and what it wants to _continue_ to become.

The job of a Huntsman is not easy. It is fraught with peril, with danger, and with obstacles that always seem impossible. To conquer these demons, to protect our homes, to make sure we the people are free to grow and build, requires strength, strength of will as well as strength of body. It requires skill, developed through dedication and patience.  
And it requires the determination, the conviction, the _drive_ , to never give up, to never lose hope, to be the best of us all.  
And now, in the Amity Arena, on the eightieth anniversary of peace, stands the future. Stand those who wish to prove to us all that they have strength, that they have skill, and that they have determination.  
It is our _honor_ to allow them that chance.

And so, the Beacon Academy has the great privilege to announce that the fortieth Vytal Tournament...has officially begun!”

The roar that came from the audience couldn’t have been imagined by a single one of them standing on the stage, dwarfing anything that Pyrrha Nikos had heard during her own tournaments, and it swept through them all like a tidal wave that had even Kylar giving a confident and eager smile.

“So, without further ado, without delaying the suspense from our competitors any further, let us roll for our first match!”

Everyone looked to the screen as the random match generator appeared and began to spin, both Shina and Chrystal internally crossing their fingers.

The rotation stopped.

“Our first match of the Vytal Tournament! Team RWBY of Beacon, versus team ABRN of Haven!”

While next to them Ruby almost fainted on the spot, Yang gave out a whoop of excitement, and looking over to Shina with fire in her eyes he immediately offered her a fist bump and a grin, which she gladly took.

As the other teams began to filter out of the arena, leaving just the two competing teams, Chrystal still had a confident bounce in her step as she looked over at the other three.

“Let’s do this thing.”

“We’re staying to watch them, right?” Tacita raised her eyebrows and a smile, her smile growing when Shina gave her an incredulous look.

“Of course! I’m just thankful that teams get our own seats, otherwise we would uhh...not find a place to sit.” 

He gave a final glance over his shoulder at the full stands, the four of them quickly hurrying through the corridors at a run, dropping off their weapons in their storage lockers, and making their way to the stands, sliding into their seats just before the countdown finished.

Managing to catch Ruby’s eye, Shina gave her a fierce nod and visibly clenched his fist in confidence for her, and he watched her grip on Crescent Rose tighten in response, smiling back at him excitedly.

And then, at the reach of zero, they were away.

+=+=+

“I am filled with a sense of relief that we did not fight them.” Chrystal said blankly with wide eyes as she watched the two teams leave the arena, Ruby having far too much energy after such a rough fight.

“Don’t like your chances?” Shina smirked at her as they all stood up to make their way out, the next rotation being two teams they didn’t know, which they were fine missing.

“You kidding? I like my chances against the other three, but the attack radius on that scythe of hers is _scary_ , and she’s just as fast over long-range as I am over short-range.” Chrystal blanched, running her hands through her hair. “She’s _never_ been that good in combat class.”

“She’s never had the free space around her before to use Crescent Rose properly, the sparring arenas are too small.” Tacita smiled, finding herself thankful that her Semblance apparently allowed her to watch every inch of a match at the same time. “The sparring arenas are too small for her to use her speed much either.”

“Same problem I face.” Kylar nodded with a look of baffled respect. He knew Weiss was good with her glyphs, but her _accuracy_ and _reflexes_ with them were incredible.

Stretching her arms over her head, Chrystal let out a hungry groan and stretched backwards at a scary angle to look at her friends. “Lunch?”

“Lunch. I barely managed to eat breakfast.” Tacita let out a breath and a smile, before scowling when Chrystal laughed.

“Aww, were you a bit nervous? Bit of stage fright?”

Grumbling, Tacita broke off her scowl as they hopped into one of the airjets that was constantly ferrying people back and forth from the arena to the fairgrounds, and they quickly made their way to some of the food stalls, smiling as they watched RWBY and JNPR eating together.

However both Tacita and Chrystal paused at the exact same moment when they both noticed Emerald Sustrai pick Ruby’s pocket casually, snatching the girl’s wallet and then quickly handing it back to her citing that she found it.

Glancing at each other, knowing they’d both seen it, Tacita gave Chrystal an almost pleading look which the girl soundly ignored.

As the other three made their way deeper into the food stalls looking for options, Chrystal casually broke away from them, and as she passed by Emerald she easily snagged the girl’s own wallet without the other girl even feeling a touch. Making some distance between them, she spun on her heel and jogged back to Emerald and Mercury, who were on their way back to the airjet pads. Chrystal called out.

“Hey Emerald!”

Stopping in her stride, Emerald turned with questioning raised eyebrows. She gave a friendly smile. “Oh hey, Chrystal right? What’s up?”

“You dropped your wallet, found it near the noodle stand.” Chrystal gave a smile back as she handed it over. A look shot into Emerald’s eyes as she glanced at her wallet in Chrystal’s hands, and her eyes locked onto Chrystal’s, a look passing between them in a microsecond that said all it needed to.

_‘Yeah, I caught you. Tag back.’_

Putting a surprised smile onto her face, Emerald took it from Chrystal with a frustrated sigh and slid it back into her pocket. “Thanks Chrystal, my student card is in there for my locker and everything.”

“Yeah I know the feeling. Oh well. If you guys get rotated before we do. Good luck!”

“Thanks! Same to you guys.” Emerald smiled and gave a wave as Chrystal turned and jogged away.

Finding the rest of her team at a nearby burger stand, she put her hands in her pockets innocently even as Tacita gave her an exasperated look, rolling her eyes as Chrystal plopped down next to Shina, getting an amused grin from him.

“What’d they say after I jogged out of earshot?” Chrystal asked Tacita after she placed her own order. The other girl sighed, taking another bite to make Chrystal wait before she glanced at her with a frustrated look.

“Was that necessary?”

“Yes. Now come on.”

“Well they don’t like you, Emerald is baffled how you managed it. Apparently we’re a threat.”

“Worth it. Our friends are off-limits. Besides...” Chrystal frowned, poking at her lunch as her instincts tingled. “I don’t trust them. They don’t rub me the right way. I don’t know what it is.”

“They _have_ stared at us quite a lot over the past months.” Tacita agreed with a thoughtful expression, tapping her fingers on the counter. “Do we even know all the members of their team?”

“Those two, the girl with the golden eyes, and…” Kylar frowned, tilting his head in a curious expression. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the fourth member. Ever.”

“Me neither.” Tacita agreed, her tapping on the counter getting briefly faster. “Strange.”

“Well, if they continue to poke around Team RWBY, they and I are going to have a problem.” Chrystal scowled, going back to eating.

Humming in agreement as he took another bite, Shina nodded and swallowed, almost finished already. “Just try and keep a low profile, please?”

“I won’t do anything else that confrontational, that was it. I promise.”

Finishing their food, going back to casual conversation about team RWBY’s fight, eventually they finished and decided to head back to the arena and keep watching matches. There were other things to do, of course, but they couldn’t deny that the tournament itself held the most interest for them.  
Making sure to grab them all a disgusting amount of snacks on the way, Chrystal hummed in excitement as they hopped onto the airjet and rose back up, leading the way to their designated seats in the stands despite the fact the audience wasn’t quite as full anymore. But, the competing teams had been guaranteed a great view, and it certainly was one, Chrystal tapping her foot impatiently waiting for the next match as she handed out the food and drinks.

The full-team matches were held during the normal daylight hours, starting at nine in the morning and ending at five, with the arena then being used for entertainment, performers from the different cities, that sort of thing. Which meant that there were around seven hours of fights left to watch.  
While the other three were willing to admit they didn’t have the attention span or the stamina for such an endeavour, Chrystal was easily able to remain for the entire thing, only leaving between matches to grab more snacks. As match after match went through, she made sure to notice each individual team’s fighting style, able to figure out the tendencies and themes each particular academy seemed to have.  
And there were definitely patterns.

Frankly, she was able to convince herself that she was doing research for their own fight, that was her excuse. But, as the seventh match for the day finished and the arena was reset for the biomes to be repaired, the match rotator appeared on the screen and spun.  
When it stopped, her eyes widened and she grinned.

“Our next match! Team SPKZ of Atlas, versus Team WITE of Haven!”

Knowing that the rest of her teammates would definitely be heading back to the arena to watch the match, Chrystal was comfortable with leaving her stuff on her seat as she skipped away to head to the preparation room, unsurprised to find SPKZ already there preparing.

Making her way over to them, she didn’t even wait for him to say anything before pulling Petyr into a tight hug, kissing his cheek. “Good luck, sweetie. You’re going to kick so much ass.”

Blinking from being caught by surprise for a moment, Petyr grinned and hugged her back, spinning her around before putting her down and stepping back.

“I hope so, I’ll make you proud.”

“I know you will. But Petyr? I’ve been proud every day since I met you.” She ran her fingers through his hair, just the once, before leaning in and kissing him softly for only a moment before stepping back. “Good luck.”

Turning to the other three, she gave them all strong looks and smiles. “Good luck, all of you. You’re going to do great. You better, if you want to face Shina and I in the doubles round anyway.”

“Can’t wait. Don’t worry, we’ll make this one quick.” Zavraii gave a smirk as he finished strapping his bucklers to his arms and tightening them on. “Sorry that we got to go before you guys did.”

Chrystal shrugged, quickly hugging each of them quickly, careful to avoid the spikes on Zav’s shields as she gave him a squeeze.

Skipping away from them, she gave a wave and spun, quickly heading back to her seats and finding that her team were already there. Sliding past them, she plopped down in her seat next to Shina and snatched up her snacks again.

“How confident are they?” Shina asked curiously, and when she gave an almost vicious grin he nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Now, what do we know about Team WITE?”

“Not a goddamn thing. I know they were at the town square with the rest of us, but I didn’t have time to get a look at them.” Tacita scowled, shaking her head. But, internally, that just made things more exciting for her.

The wait was excruciating, Chrystal bouncing her feet more and more impatiently, but eventually the five minute notice came over the loudspeakers, and she looked to the entrance corridor with a smile on her lips and a glow in her eyes.

Her man had this in the bag. She just knew it.

+=+=+

Tightening the last screw on his fifth drone, Petyr reattached it to the pack worn on his back, the drone clicking itself into place and beeping to alert him it was plugged in even though he could already feel the connection through his Semblance touching his wrist pad. Frowning in determined concentration as he tapped through the pad and set up the appropriate routines, he looked up when he felt himself being looked at, and found Sunny smiling at him.

“...what?”

“This is the most certain and self-assured I’ve ever seen you. It's good.” Sunny said warmly, clapping him on the shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “We’re ready for this.”

“Of course we are.” Kirian spoke up as he slid his arm into the arm grip for his rotational firearm and it clicked tight, beeping as each section tightened around his arm to alert him that it was prepared to be held steady, the recoil absorbers engaged. “We’ve been preparing for this for a year, and training long before that. This is what we do. And we’re good at it.”

“Inspiring as always.” Zav sighed affectionately, stretching his arms and shoulders as the others prepared.

A red light on the ceiling turned green, and Sunny gave the others one last look, his face confident with a small smile in the corner of his mouth. “Shall we?”

“Got nothing else to do, I suppose.” Zav grinned as he stepped up.

“I don’t know, I could go for lunch, frankly.” Kirian sighed, Zav leaning on his shoulder for a moment before all four of them began to make their way down the corridor, glancing over at the two boys and two girls of Team WITE, who were looking right back at them, scrutinising them.

“Good luck.” Sunny looked to their team leader, a girl named Winona, and she gave a friendly but serious nod back.

“Thanks. You too.”

Entering the arena, the crowd immediately began to cheer loudly yet again, and when Petyr faltered in his step Sunny was able to nudge him so he snapped back to it, the boy giving him a thankful smile, the new confidence returning once the wave of being overwhelmed wore off.  
The two teams took their places in the arena opposite from each other, standing at attention and not in their combat stances quite yet.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Winona Ignitus, Quinten Imp, Titania Leaf, and Eric Kii of Team WITE of Haven!”

There was a large cheer from every Haven supporter in the audience as the cameras took the time to focus on each of them, brief information coming up on each of them, including their combat rankings for their Academy. When Sunny noticed they as a team were ranked _slightly_ higher at Haven than SPKZ ranked at Atlas, he couldn’t help the grin that came over his face.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Sunny Whistlewind, Petyr Fevera, Kirian Phase, and Zavraii Ilyus of Team SPKZ of Atlas!”

As different members of the crowd roared and rose to cheer, in the moments before Professor Port would speak again Sunny made a decision and broke the standard rules, taking three disciplined steps forward and offering his hand for Winona to meet him in the middle.

Barely missing a beat, the girl took the same steps forward, with just as much discipline, and gripped his hand firmly to shake.

The crowd went absolutely wild at the rare break of tradition and rules purely to show respect, and the cameras focused directly on it, a close shot of just the two of them and their soldier’s grip on each other's hand.

Their individual statistics came up on screen.

When something about it made the crowd even more excited, they both snuck a glance as they stepped back and walked back to their teams;

They were individually exactly the same combat rank for their academies. According to their rankings, they were an exactly even match for each other.  
Meeting each other’s eyes again, both of them gave each other a polite and determined nod.

And then, it was time for the arena to rotate, the screens showing the randomisation process as it rolled. Keeping their eyes on the screens making the decision, when they came to stop Team SPKZ couldn’t stop the vicious smiles that came out onto their faces.  
One half was Urban, the other half was Ice.  
It would be like fighting in the outskirts of Mantle. Home territory for them.  
And Team WITE realised it.

“Okay, they’re statistically ranked higher than us, so we approach them as stronger. It’d be a fair fight in the Urban biome, but our advantage in Ice. I suggest formation C.” Kirian said to the others without turning his head, knowing each of them heard him. They each nodded in agreement.

“Huntsmen, take your stances!”

With Zav bringing both shields up in front of himself, each of them large enough that when placed together they covered his entire body while able to leave a slit large enough for him to be able to see through, next to him Kirian placed his left hand, his one free hand, hovering just above the keypad of his weapon.  
Petyr did something similar, sliding his right foot back and slimming his profile for the other team, fingers hovering just above his own touchpad, his aura already faintly glowing in his eyes, meanwhile Sunny slid his right foot to the right and his left foot forward, bringing his massive cleaving blade at an angle that it blocked Petyr’s torso as well as his own.

From what he could see of Team WITE, they were split evenly. One boy and one girl were clearly ranged fighters, while the other pair were clearly close combat. Sunny and Winona shared another look when they realised they were both melee fighters.

“Huntsmen! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3...2...1!”

When Winona and her partner Quinten shot forward, Winona was surprised when Sunny instead slid to the right and took a step back, covering Petyr almost entirely as Petyr placed his hand on his pad and immediately used his Semblance to attune, his drones all shooting into the air and shifting into different forms.

In the time it took before their two opponents reached them, one drone attached to Petyr’s left arm in the form that gave him the ranged laser weapon, another attached in his jetpack form, while the other three shot out to form a wide triangle formation over the arena, doing nothing.  
For now.  
Immediately rising into the air and out of harms way of the melee fighters, Petyr came out of his Semblance to properly make use of his laser.

_“And we immediately see Petyr Fevera’s Semblance, Lock On, right out of the gate! But he must be careful of his position, if he rises too high it is considered a ring-out!”_

Now that his partner was safe, the moment Winona and Quinten reached him and swung for him Sunny immediately stopped his retreat, satisfied that he had drawn them into the urban biome. Twisting out of the way of Quinten’s dust-infused rapier he brought his blade up, the first of Winona’s axes smashed into the flat side of his blade. Immediately realising his defensive style, she brought her other axe around to hook it into the cleaving blade and twist it, revealing his torso for a slice.

Her axe digging into her opponent's side, she glanced to her left when Quinten groaned out, Sunny having used the momentum of her twist to use his superior reach on the boy to drive hide own blade into Quinten’s side, his strength driving the boy sprawling through the window of one of the ruins to immediately be blasted by Petyr’s laser, sapping his aura a decent amount.

On the other side of the field, Zav was easily able to use his shields to deflect the concentrated spray of bullets from Titania’s dual submachine guns, but he had to quickly start bringing them out of the way when she switched ammo and began trying to case them in ice to make them too heavy for him to lift.

In response he simply ducked, exposing Kirian who had selected the cannon setup and proceeded to blast her with a large explosive round, having her roll behind icy cover. Kirian then had to skid out of the way from Eric’s sniper rifle, the boy hidden among the ice, the bullet grazing Kirian’s shoulder and having him wince. Glancing at Zav, they nodded at each other, and Zav ducked down into a low crouch, bringing one shield in front of him but resting his other one over his head to provide a flat surface for Kirian to alter the settings of his weapon and a bipod to click down when it switching into artillery mode.

Resting the bipod on the provided platform, he rotated the right ammo in and whistled to Petyr. Flying above, Petyr heard the whistle and saw Zav and Kirian’s formation. Grinning, he tapping into his Semblance again, and the drone of the triangular formation that had been on defensive mode closest to Kirian and Zav’s section of the arena immediately zoomed towards the ice biome and fired a grappling hook, wrapping it around the arm of the hidden Eric and yanking him towards where Titania was also in cover, close enough that when Kirian began to simply blast their cover they were both caught by the barrage, forced to retreat as their auras crackled and a quarter of each vanished.

But the SPKZ pair immediately had to break their stance as the rapier wielding Quinten reached them at an impressive speed, sliding to his knees and slicing along the exposed back of Zavraii before bouncing up and the tip of his blade barely blocked by Kirian in time, the force behind it still sending him sliding back and crunching into one of the collapsed buildings.

Wincing at the impact, Kirian frowned as his Semblance fired off inside of his mind as he analysed every single moment, and called out to the others. “He’s got a momentum Semblance, don’t let him gain movement.”

“Got it.” Zav straightened and brought a buckler around, smashing the blunt of it into Quinten’s legs and sending the boy to the ground, the boy sliding back in retreat and out of Zav’s melee range. Immediately having to bring a buckler up to block another spray from Titania, Zav saw Quinten charging again out of the corner of his eye.

Drawing on his aura, Zav looked towards him and pinned him with his gaze.

_“Go past me.”_

As his Semblance rippled into Quinten’s ears, the boy couldn’t stop himself from redirecting to continue to slide past Zav and out into the open, getting a zap from Petyr for his trouble, and crashing into a standing block of ice.

_“And we see the first use of Zavraii’s Semblance; Lover’s Voice! While it takes quite the toll on his aura to use, its hypnotic potency makes it powerfully effective!”_

Meanwhile Kirian had backed off, calling over to Sunny, who was locked in almost a constant dance with Winona, the two of them gradually chipping away at each other’s aura, neither of them using any form of Semblance.

“We need you on field control.”

“Got it. Pick your moment, Petyr.” Sunny grunted out as loudly as he could as he shoved Winona out of another weapon clash.

Taking an arm off his weapon and holding it out, he jumped at the exact moment Petyr flew past and grabbed his hand, yanking Sunny away from Winona and towards the other three members of Team WITE.

“You ready?” Petyr grinned down at Sunny, who took rapid deep breaths and nodded in response, both of them taking the occasional hit from Titania’s gunfire as Quinten was determined to deal with Kiran and Zav.

Eric tried getting sniper shots, but Petyr was too erratic in his flying.

Sunny nodded in determination when Petyr had him right above where the two ranged members of Team WITE were, and Petyr let him go. As he fell, Sunny reached into himself and activated his Semblance, igniting in a roaring fire. Slamming his now flaming weapon into the ground the moment he hit it, the outwards blast of flame from the impact scorched both Titania and Eric, while the flaming crash onto ice sent up great billows of steam.

Tapping his pad, Petyr finally brought another of his spare drones into play, and it opened and attached over his head like a helmet, a visor flicking down and detecting heat signatures, made immediately easier as Sunny extinguished himself almost the moment he straightened up. Spotting a lost Titania trying to dart her way out of the steam cover, it was too simple to blast her almost consistently with his laser, making her panic as he landed the occasional hit.

He was brought out of his aiming when he felt something wrap around his legs and yank him towards the ground, slamming him into a flat section of rubble hard enough the breath was knocking from his lungs, as he opened his eyes to see a whip of pure aura retract into Winona’s hand, the woman in the process of a jump to bring one of her axes down into his chest.

A burst from his jetpack had him out of the way of the axe hitting his chest, but it slammed into his leg with a crunch, and his aura crackled. But they both looked up towards the screen when Professor Port called out.

_“And with a powerful slice from the powerful Sunny Whistlewind, Team WITE’s Eric’s aura is broken! One member of Team WITE is down!”_

Winona came back to herself just in time for a flying drone to fly into her face to knock her off balance, fire a grappling hook at Petyr’s wrist, and yank him back into the air. Feeling the drone on his back was damaged from the crash, he sighed in frustration as he detached it, sending it into the air to replace one of the drones in the triangle and bringing a fresh one in to replace it, essentially rotating it out.

Watching as Winona began to make her way over to the major part of the battle, particularly towards where Sunny had Titania on the run through the ice biome, Zav and Kirian were dealing with an incredibly quick and capable Quinten, the boy picking off Kirian’s aura rather effectively as he managed to skirt around Zav’s defense in rare moments.

Studying the battlefield, he watched as Winona reengaged Sunny before she even reached him by attempting to wrap her Semblance aura whip around his torso to yank him, but the moment he felt it he immediately burst himself into flame again, and Winona had to quickly release him to prevent her aura from being immolated.  
With Titania pushed back, Petyr watched the girl shift her submachine guns into twin hooked swords and rush in to assist Winona. Trusting Sunny to handle himself, Petyr turned to Quinten just in time to watch the boy gather enough incredible momentum to slam his foot into Zav’s shield and blast the boy out of the arena.

_“An absolutely incredible use of his Semblance has Quinten sending Zavraii out-of-bounds! It’s a ring-out!”_

Swearing, Petyr knew that alone Kirian wouldn’t stand a chance in a close-combat engagement, and so he picked his target. But he had to be careful. He couldn’t hit the boy with anything that had forceful impact, or he’d just be powering the boy’s Semblance. So he had to either continue using lasers, or find a way to immobilise him as tightly as possible.  
Glancing around at his remaining drones, he detached the one from his arm. He’d wanted to save this trick for the doubles-round, but Quinten was dangerous enough for it.

“Kirian! Sky Sealing!”

“Are you sure?? I mean, I’d appreciate it.” Kirian dodged out of the way of the rapier and managed to slam the mass of his weapon into Quinten’s face, sending the boy sprawling back and his aura crackling. “But I thought you were saving that.”

“I think this warrants it.”

“Alright, go for it.”

Bringing in his now four spare drones, he had them form a hovering perimeter around the fight with Quinten as Kirian began retreating back further and further into the large clearing near the center of the battlefield, bringing Quinten into the open. The moment it was clear, Petyr tapped his pad and activated.

The four drones in the air fired a thin hardlight dust laser between each other, which with another tap from Petyr activated and shot to the ground, forming a box of hardlight dust around the fight between Kirian and Quinten, effectively boxing them in.

As the drones slowly moved in, tightening the box, Petyr flew over and dove down into it, grabbing Kirian’s hand and yanking him up and out. The drones closed around Quinten, holding him completely still, barely even able to spin around.

“Go for it. I can handle the recoil.” Petyr looked down at Kirian, who nodded and shifted his weapon into cannon form yet again. A simple aim down into the box as Quinten took shots at them with the revolver built into his sword, and Kirian blasted him with four rounds.

_“A clearly practiced and strategized dual maneuver between Kirian and Petyr has Quinten’s aura depleted and out of the fight!”_

Petyr deactivated the hardlight so Quinten could leave the arena, and he dropped Kirian back down onto the ground, looking over to where Sunny and Winona were going back and forth. The still engaged Titania had retreated, realising that she was just getting in the way and was now hesitant to take shots at them in fear of hitting Winona but taking them where she could.

Glancing up at the screen, Petyr saw that both his and Kirian’s auras were horribly low, meanwhile Sunny was doing decently. But, Sunny did have a massive aura reserve compared to the other three, so it didn’t surprise them. Especially as Titania didn’t realise that normal bullets burnt up on impact with Sunny’s blazing Semblance.

“We get the gun girl?” Petyr landed next to Kirian, who nodded.

“We get the gun girl.”

An alarm went through Petyr’s pad, and he looked up into the sky to see that without his noticing Winona had bounced back from Sunny long enough to wrap her Semblance whip around two of Petyr’s drones and crash them into the ground, destroying them enough they were out of the fight. With Winona back from Sunny, Titania immediately seemed to realise the problem and switch to rock-dust ammunition, which would get through the fire and forced Sunny to block with his sword.

“Well shit.” Petyr swore, tapping his pad rapidly to check the status of the others. Two were still intact, the one that had been damaged by his fall was still active but _barely_ , and was now dodging Winona’s whip.

Bringing up his weapon and shifting it into machine gun form, Kirian kept her at bay with a stream of bullets, checking the ammunition on his pad. “Any bright ideas? Because I’m running low on pretty much every form of ammo.”

“You’re the brains of this operation.”

“Not when it comes to improvising. Give me something.”

Thinking over it for a moment, Petyr had a flash of inspiration and a grin split open on his face, looking to Kirian. “You’ve watched Chrystal fight, right?”

“Not the time to gush about your girlfriend.”

“No, I’m serious, have you watched her fight?”

“Yes, of course.”

Nodding, Petyr took a breath as he brought the two last fully repaired drones down to them, the two of them already shifting form into blades. “Drop your weapon and take the swords.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“You’ve watched her fight. With your Semblance it means you remember it perfectly and you've analysed it.”

“Just because I’ve _analysed_ it doesn’t mean I can _replicate_ it. I’m not that Velvet girl that Shina’s dating.”

“It’s all we’ve got. Gimme your damn gun.”

Hesitating for a brief moment, Kirian thinking as Winona still glancing over at them from where she was briefly reengaged with Sunny, clearly wanting to switch targets, he swore and disengaged his weapon, raising his arms as the two drones lowered to his hands and he could take a grip as they transformed into makeshift swords.  
The third drone, the damaged one, came down and reattached to Petyr, and he ripped the sleeve on his right arm so that the pad was touching his screen directly, before sliding his left arm into Kirian’s weapon and having it attach to him.

“Thank god you made this thing electrical and programmed.”

Giving him a look and rolling his eyes, Kirian jogged over to Sunny and, using his photographic memory and Semblance, adopted Chrystal’s style. Unlike Velvet whose _muscles_ could replicate styles she’d seen, Kirian’s Semblance was pure photographic memory and perfect analysis.  
He didn’t know the exertion, but he perfectly knew the methods and techniques.  
Meanwhile Petyr closed his eyes, and allowed his Semblance to completely take him over, attaching to both the command pad on his right wrist and to Kirian’s weapon on his left arm.

Titania was his problem.

With the incredibly strong and talented Winona distracted by two opponents, Sunny making sure to be the more threatening of the two while Kirian instead focused on dodging and getting in slight hits that whittled her aura away, Petyr went for Titania, the girl standing off taking potshots.

She barely saw him in time, and even as she brought her guns up and a spray of gunfire ripped through him, bringing his aura dangerously low, he brought Kirian’s gun up and began to blast her and the ground around her with the last of Kirian’s cannon rounds, obliterating the terrain and practically destroying her aura. But she was still in the fight, and a final spray from her guns destroyed the final drone on his back. As he fell he brought the gun up one last time and, switching to shotgun mode quickly, and shattered the last of her aura, his own aura breaking from impacting the ground.

_“In an amazing and climactic sequence of events, Petyr Fevera and Titania Leaf are out! Quickly followed by Kirian Phase! It’s down to one versus one, as Sunny Whistlewind and Winona Ignitus are charged with finishing this exciting match. Team Leader to Team Leader!”_

Both Winona and Sunny disengaged and bounced back a few steps from each other as they watched their defeated teammates leave the field, before staring each other down, Winona flourishing her axes while Sunny brought up his blade.  
Winona was good. She was _very_ good. While she wasn’t the best he’d fought, her particular style matched up against his own perfectly.

The two of them backed up into the clearing in the dead center of the arena, circling each other slowly. Winona knew that her Semblance was negated by his. He would just burn hers with his own. Glancing up at the board, she saw that he had more aura left than she did, but it was...falling?  
Blinking, she looked back to him and watched as his eyes were glowing, and the ice near him began to melt into steam. But there was no flames erupting from his body like she’d seen so far, and from what she’d experienced up to this point the normal use of his Semblance _didn’t_ drain his aura.  
Her eyes widened when she watched as his sword began to glow red hot, rapidly approaching orange. Not giving him the time to do whatever it was he was planning, she shot forward to bring her axes around, but when he blocked them with his blade she saw them threaten to melt, and she quickly pulled back.

Just in time for Sunny to grit his teeth and erupt into flames once again.

Blue flames.

As his aura continued to trickle down, she could only watch, unable to get close due to the heat, as he brought his blade back and swung it in an arc, a blast of flame erupting in a wave from the swing, the air itself seeming to ignite from the sheer intensity of his heat.

There was no dodging, no getting out of the way, Winona brought her axes up to protect her eyes as the fire blasted into her, and the last of her aura utterly melted, brought below the 15% threshold.

The heat passing and the final horn sounding, she opened her eyes to see Sunny driven down to a knee. Glancing up at the board, she shook her head in amazed frustration.

Her aura was down to 7%. Sunny’s was on 17%.

So close.

_“A spectacular finish to a spectacular match! Sunny Whistlewind’s Semblance, the fearsome Apricity, brought to its full force!”_

The crowd went absolutely wild, even those not from Mistral or Atlas, but Winona barely heard it, and it was clear that Sunny barely could either, the boy exhaustedly slumped.

As the biomes shifted away, Winona noticed over her shoulder that the rubble of the urban biome behind her was utterly shattered by the intensity of the entire fight, and because of the last attack by Sunny the Ice biome was mostly just...water. She made her way over at a stumble, putting her axes on her back, and offered her hand to Sunny to pull him to his feet.  
Taking it gratefully, he straightened up, putting his own blade on his back as he absorbed the heat back into himself.

Nodding at each other, both of them giving exhausted adrenaline-fuelled smiles, Winona grasped his arm in respect and he gripped hers back, before she let go to make her way out of the arena with the rest of her team, each of them battered and sore.

Team SPKZ weren’t any better, Petyr limping brutally from falling twice and the other two looking less than healthy.

Making their way into the center of the arena, they stood together and looked up and around at the crowds, the screen showing replays of each of the eliminations from the match, before cutting to them as a camera circled them.

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, Team SPKZ are victorious and pass on to the doubles round!”_

At the official announcement, the Atlas students in the crowds rose to their feet cheering, and the entire crowd grew louder, loud enough that Petyr swayed on his feet rather violently and Kirian had to catch him properly to stop him collapsing to the ground entirely.

Standing for a few more seconds, waving to the crowd, the four of them made their way out of the arena, some tournament attendants having already retrieved the remains of Petyr’s drones and delivered them to the preparation room, laid out for him.

Entering, all four of them immediately slumped down onto the nearest bench, a decent amount of the students already in the room either clapping or giving whoops. It was only a few moments later when Chrystal rushed in, skidding to a stop in front of where Petyr was slumped, and dropping to her knees in front of him with a wide grin on her face.

“Told you.”

Smiling tiredly at her, he gave her a soft kiss before slumping again, looking up as medics arrived to look them over, and Chrystal stepped back to let them work. Of all four of them, Petyr was by far the most physically beaten up, purely from the two falls, especially the second one when he had such little aura left.  
Kirian wasn’t much better, Eric’s sniper shots having smashed into him in quite a few vulnerable places, even with his aura blocking the bullets for the most part.  
The other two were mostly fine, physically. Just exhausted. Zavraii still had a decent amount of aura, and he was healing. After the medics were done and stepped away, confident that it was nothing their auras wouldn’t quickly deal with once they recharged, Chrystal stepped back closer to them and grinned at them widely, the rest of Team SKTC entering the room as well and coming over.

Chrystal looked to Kirian and raised an eyebrow. “I _saw_ that last stand against Winona. I know my moves when I see them. I’m flattered.”

“I’m not a quarter as fast as you, nor do I have your agility.” Kirian grumbled and sighed, shaking his head.

“Eh, you tried. That’s flattering enough for me. You decided it was an ace in the hole.”

“More like a last resort.” Kirian shrugged, and she raised her eyebrow higher, rolling her eyes and turning to Petyr, who was standing and looking over his damaged drones on the nearest table.

“They fixable?” She sighed, looking down at them sadly.

“Four of them, the fifth I’ll be rebuilding from scratch.” He sighed, looking over them all and scrunching up the corner of his mouth in thought. “I’ve got the parts. Plenty of spare plating as well. I did come prepared for them to be potentially destroyed.”

The small amounts of chatter that were happening in the preparation room were cut off when General Ironwood himself entered, glancing around the room for a moment before heading straight for where Sunny was resting.

Stopping a few paces away, Ironwood pinned the boy with what could only be described as a death glare, before speaking in a cold and commanding voice.

“Mr Whistlewind. With me. _Now._ ”

Sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Sunny stood, quickly putting his weapon back into his locker before facing the general. “Yes sir.”

Wordlessly, Ironwood spun on his heel and led Sunny away, onto a private airjet that, instead of flying them down to the school grounds, flew them directly towards the Atlas capital ship, docking in the hanger bay. The doors opening, Ironwood led Sunny out at a brisk pace, still without saying a word, through the winding corridors until they reached his office. The moment the doors were closed, Ironwood allowed tension and anger to enter his body as he went over to stand behind his desk, Sunny moving to the right spot to stand at attention, his hands behind his back.

“What the _devil_ were you thinking releasing your Semblance at such a level, Mr Whistlewind? I thought we discussed this. I believe I made my position rather clear.” General Ironwood’s voice was in the tone of a military commander scolding a soldier, not a headmaster scolding a student, and it hit Sunny like a slice across the gut.

“Sir, in the circumstances presented I believed it to be the most effective way to end the battle in my team’s favour.”

“Effective? _Effective?”_ Ironwood’s voice took on a tense edge. “We placed restrictions on your usage of your Semblance for a reason, Mr Whistlewind. What if you had endangered the crowd? What if Miss Ignitus had been _killed?_ ”

“I measured and limited the temperature and radius of my Semblance release accordingly, sir.”

“Mr Whistlewind, your Semblance has evolved at a rate that endangers your fellow students, endangers civilian lives, and even threatens collateral damage. An entire biome for the arena has to be rebuilt. Due to the intense and specialised private training you have gone through in order to control your Semblance, I put a great deal of trust in you for this tournament.”

“Sir, I-”

“This is _not_ a back-and-forth conversation.” Ironwood raised a finger to silence him. “I am aware of your ambition to become an Atlesian Specialist in the Atlas Military, just as your father and grandfather were, and it is a noble goal. One I believe you could achieve. In terms of capability, discipline, and skill, we have already discussed the possibility of early graduation. But this reckless and frankly _dangerous_ combat decision of yours has damaged the trust I had in you quite severely.”

“Why?”

“ _Excuse me?”_ General Ironwood raised his eyebrows high and his eyes widened as Sunny spoke up, the boy still looking entirely disciplined and impassive.

“Sir, I have worked tirelessly to master and finesse my Semblance, and I could not be more grateful for the private hand you have had in providing me with that training. Today I believe I deployed the fruits of that training in a live combat scenario. The restriction you placed on me was that I was not to attempt to reach past my limits. I didn’t. I was in full control of what I was deploying.”

Pausing for a moment to consider Sunny’s words, General Ironwood thinned his lips and placed a hand on his desk, bringing up the interface and swiping to the footage of the fight. But instead of the footage taken to be aired, it was analytics and scans. Tapping a few buttons, the screen switched to show heat readings. Fast forwarding to the moment Sunny’s Semblance was at its hottest, he rotated the screen so Sunny could see the readings.

“You want me to believe that you were in control, in this moment?” 

Looking at the readings on the screen, Sunny clenched his jaw, but that was the only outwards sign that he was reading it all. It was true that he and the General, along with other faculty at the Academy, had been in discussions on his early graduation. Even the General admitted he was one of the most promising candidates to come through the Academy since he had taken the position as Headmaster for it.

But the General was also right in that his Semblance was dangerous. The extra training he had gone through in how to control it and limit it hadn’t just been a courtesy, it’d been a necessity, due to the rate his Semblance was developing.

Thankfully a key part of his Semblance, apart from _generating_ heat, was his ability to restrain it and restrict it. Otherwise the sheer act of gathering the heat inside of him would melt whatever he was standing on, if he went hot enough. It also allowed him to use his Semblance without destroying his own clothes, making sure his aura was a layer _above_ his clothing before it turned into flames.

If the readings on the screen were accurate, his wave of fire had been around six hundred degrees celsius, or a thousand degrees fahrenheit. But his inner blue heat, and the heat of the blue flame cloak itself, had been far hotter, clocking in at two thousand degrees celsius, or three and a half thousand degrees fahrenheit.

Exactly as he had measured. But if any heat had escaped through his feet, he would have melted the arena floor.

But it was a heat he had measured precisely. So he nodded.

“Yes sir. That is the reason why those temperatures are so exact. I know the shattering point of most auras when it comes to heat, I knew how much aura she had left, and I measured accordingly.”

Raising an eyebrow at him, Ironwood spun the screen to face himself again and glanced over all the readings. Clicking his tongue, his expression still serious, he looked back to Sunny.

“Mr Whistlewind, a point I brought you up here to discuss, to put onto the table, is that a technology we developed two years ago is a form of dust infused binding. Sometimes a collar or separate cuffs, that can limit the power output of a Semblance. Can _regulate_ it. If need be, for your safety and the safety of others, I may have to decide to forcibly moderate your heat output.”

Sunny’s eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat, a shiver of fear going through him that Ironwood saw, the man giving a firm look.

“A last resort, Mr Whistlewind. Your team has advanced to the doubles round and I am under no such delusions that you would not be a participant in it. Consider this your last chance to demonstrate control, before we have to have a discussion about more permanent restrictions." General Ironwood fixed him with a sharp and conclusive glare. "If the sensors even _start_ to see signs of you getting to that point again, I will immediately stop the match and have you _benched_. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Sunny swallowed, forcing his breathing to be as slow and as calm as possible. But he was failing, and he knew the General could tell.

"Demonstrate to me that you truly have advanced in your Semblance control as much as your instructors have claimed, and conversations about your graduation will proceed. Break my trust any further, and you will have to work _very_ hard to reassure me that you are ready.”

“Yes sir. I won’t let you down again.” Sunny gave a determined nod, and the look in his eyes clearly reassured Ironwood somewhat, as the man nodded back to him.

“Good. Prove it. You’re dismissed.”

“Thank you sir.” Sunny took the appropriate few steps back before turning on his heel and making for the door, but he stopped immediately when he was addressed.

“And Sunny?”

“Yes sir?” Being addressed by his real name by the General was either an excellent sign or a terrible sign, so Sunny braced himself as he turned back.

“Other than your actions at the end…” Ironwood let slip the smallest of smiles. “Your team performed far beyond your already high expectations. Well done.”

Smiling slightly in return, Sunny gave a disciplined salute. “Thank you sir. I’m very proud of Mr Fevera, sir. He’s come a long way in the past few months.”

“Yes...love does that to a man.” Ironwood chuckled, before seeming to get lost in thought as he tapped his desk lightly. His next sentence was spoken quietly, spoken to himself instead of to Sunny, but Sunny overheard it anyway. “It was a surprise and a relief that Ms Wasara of all people could be a positive influence...”

Making sure to give no visible reaction, Sunny stayed at attention, as was disciplined protocol, until Ironwood looked up again. “Mr Fevera has indeed shown tremendous growth. Am I right in assuming he will be your partner in the doubles round?”

“Yes sir.”

“Then if he performs as well as he did in today’s round, he is well on his way towards a commendation for his progress. Pass my congratulations on to your team. You’re dismissed to return to the festival.”

“Thank you sir, I will sir.”

Turning on his heel, Sunny left the office and made his way back through the corridors towards the hanger bay. Now that the General was no longer with him, those on duty on the ship didn’t hesitate to occasionally offer him congratulations for his victory, always with a smile and polite voice, though underneath their discipline they genuinely meant it.

Hopping onto the next airjet to depart for the festival grounds, he rode back in silence, a frown on his face.

Devices to forcibly restrict someone’s Semblance?

What could possibly have inspired such a thing?

+=+=+

As the day passed into the mid-afternoon, the matches for the day finished up. It was estimated that the team rounds would be finished by just after midday the next day, and the doubles rounds could start after a break for lunch.

While they hadn’t had their chance to fight, SKTC were still satisfied with the day. Team SPKZ had won their fight, Team RWBY had won, Team BRGT had unfortunately lost theirs, and Team CFVY had utterly dominated. Not bad results for SKTC and their friends, all around, and they were more than happy to join the winners down in the city for drinks.

Leaning against the wall sipping his whiskey and watching everyone laughing and talking quietly, Kylar was smiling as he quietly observed. These sorts of outings weren’t his scene, and the others knew that so were more than okay for him to stand aside and quietly observe, not offended when he didn’t participate.  
He watched as Yang and Chrystal easily went shot for shot at a nearby table, laughing and chatting, while Blake sat quietly sipping her own drink and occasionally smiling and throwing in a comment into the conversation, Chrystal happy to include her and not be bothered by the girl’s short responses, knowing it wasn’t anything personal.  
At the same table, Ruby sat drinking something non-alcoholic, sour at still being underage, but when Chrystal had let her take a sip of her bourbon and soda the girl had gagged and immediately shaken her head, giving the glass a horrified look and getting a laugh from Chrystal and her sister, who reached over to ruffle her hair.

Watching them with soft eyes, he raised his eyebrows in intrigued amusement when Blake raised an eyebrow at something Chrystal must have said. The normally shy girl casually lifted a vodka shot and downed it without a single twitch in her face, staring into Chrystal’s eyes in a challenge the entire time.  
Whatever comment she had just defied left Chrystal stunned but then giving a large smile, immediately leaning forward and trying to get details from the girl, pouting at Blake clearly deflecting with a playful smile.

Meanwhile, what surprised him the most was Weiss Schnee and Sunny Whistlewind sitting away to the side at their own table and sharing a bottle, likely of something ruthlessly expensive, but it wasn’t like any of them were short on spending cash. They were talking politely but...actually rather deeply, if the engaged look in both of their eyes was enough to indicate anything.

They both came from prestigious Atlesian families, but while the Schnee’s had earned their fortune through Dust mining and industry, the Whistlewind’s had military prestige, and old war wealth from decades and decades ago, which a few clever family members had invested and grown excellently over the generations.  
But other than that, Kylar wasn’t sure what the two could really have in common, yet they seemed to be talking rather attentively, smiling.

He didn’t even need to wonder where Zavraii was, his eyes flicking over to where the man was giving a dramatic retelling of the match to a small group of the bar’s patrons, who all looked utterly invested. The man’s ability to charm a crowd was peerless, and according to Kirian he was the same back home, even though people there knew him for it.

Sadly, Petyr had left only an hour into their celebrations, the boy knowing that if he wanted to be ready to fight in the doubles rounds tomorrow he had to start repairing his drones and constructing the new one immediately, confirming that it would take hours to do. Starting at seven at night, he’d remarked that he’d be working until midnight and then even some hours the next morning.  
But before he’d left the others had dramatically held a toast for his valiant efforts in their team's victory, something that had the entire bar looking at him and cheering, turning the boy into an embarrassed wreck until Chrystal stood and pulled him into a kiss, getting cheers from quite a few people. Everyone recognised Petyr now due to their match, and plenty of the bars and their patrons in town knew Chrystal from how often she bar crawled.

So it was a strangely welcome sight to see.

Tacita was also absent, too exhausted from her Semblance watching the matches and being overwhelmed by the crowd all day, but she’d stayed for two drinks before she’d left. And Kirian had backed out with an apologetic smile by saying he didn’t drink and that being around alcohol made him uncomfortable. Meanwhile Team CFVY had decided that the clubs were more their scene than a bar was for their victory celebrations, and Shina had gone along with his girlfriend, to playful boos from Chrystal and Yang. 

Finishing his drink, he stepped up to the bar and ordered another, jumping in surprise when a hand jumped in to pay for it instead, his father having finally found him and placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile.

“Vytal victory drinks _always_ tend to be held here, for some reason.” Logan smiled and gave his shoulder a squeeze, ordering his own drink, and Kylar blinked when it was the same drink that he always ordered as well.

“Busy day, dad?”

“Busy day. I’m thankful that you didn’t fight today, or I might have missed it.” Logan sighed with an exhausted scowl, before smiling. “But, I _am_ able to stay a bit longer. Maybe even another day or two. I’m determined to see all your matches.”

“How’d you wrangle that?”

“By reminding everyone that I own the company.” Logan grinned with a wink and took a sip when his drink arrived, chuckling as a few thoughts occurred. “Sadly your mother flies back tomorrow morning, she volunteered to take my place. Your mother is...a very brave woman.”

Snorting, Kylar then heard a burst of laughter behind him and looked over his shoulder to where Chrystal and Yang had cruelly talked Ruby into sipping one of the shots to _‘give alcohol a try at the source, maybe it was just the soda you didn’t like_ ’, the poor innocent naive girl immediately almost recoiling in her chair in horror at the taste, Yang having been wise enough to hold the glass for her so it didn’t fly everywhere.

Grinning at her tortured sister, Yang threw the shot back, already swaying in her seat.

“You’re all a good bunch. Every single one of you.” Logan had followed his look, and was giving the gentle smile a parent gives when he looks at their child having fun.

Nodding in agreement, Kylar smiled. “What did you think of Team SPKZ match?”

“They’re close friends of yours, aren’t they?” Logan referred to Sunny sitting with Weiss, and Zav in the corner. “They did excellently, Ironwood and I took a break from our meeting with the councils in order to watch. They were a bit reckless, but that wasn’t surprising. While Sunny Whistlewind is one of General Ironwood's great prides, it's Petyr Fevera that I have my eye on. Combined with Kirian Phase, they've got greatness in their futures.”

“They had fun.”

“And, at the end of the day, that’s truly the most important part of this tournament. With everything else it means, it’s also a chance for you all to finally truly find out if you like what you could end up doing for the rest of your lives. And if you like your fellow Huntsmen and who they might be as people.”

Pausing for a moment as he mulled over it, his mind flashed to how quickly Petyr and Chrystal had stuck together like glue, and his own friendship with Kirian. Not to mention Shina and Sunny almost developing a bond to help them share the burden they both carried.  
Team SKTC and Team SPKZ were firmly allied, for good, he was sure of it.

And while it had been a hard fight, team SPKZ had confirmed all too happily that they’d had a blast.

So Kylar nodded and gave his dad a soft smile. “I love them. I never thought I would.”

“I did.”

“Huh?”

“I knew you’d love them.” Logan gave his son a supportive look, his eyes making Kylar feel as if he was truly being seen.

Despite Logan’s best efforts, Kylar had never really let either of his parents in growing up. Whether it was arrogance, introversion, insecurity, or something else, he’d just been determined to keep them out and away.  
But despite all that, his father rarely got him wrong.

“Why?”

“Because that’s what you do. You’re a guardian.”

“Oh yeah, that totally sounds like me.” Kylar snorted, and almost rolled his eyes before he noticed his father giving him a convinced and determined look. “...huh?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Not the time. Maybe next time you’re home.” Logan gave a nod to dismiss it after a few moments, taking a large sip from his drink. “Thankfully, you’ve got quite a lot of your mother in you.”

“And how much of _you_?”

“Enough that I can stand you.” Logan smirked, before slapping his son on the back gently to show he was clearly kidding.

Drinking and chatting quietly about nothing for another hour, only refilling the once, Logan’s watch ended up beeping and he sighed as he checked it. “Time zones, I’ve got a call to take with one of the technicians in Vacuo.”

“Alright then, I hope it goes well.” Kylar nodded, finally ordering a refill so he could go back over to his friends, only Zav had left so far.

 _All_ the others remained, which amused him greatly.

“Ha. Me too. I’ll be there for your match tomorrow, son. I promise. Have a good night, I love you.” Logan gave a smile and kissed the top of his head before grabbing his jacket and heading out.

Taking his fresh drink, Kylar started to walk back to the group before he paused and, with a few words to the bartender, a new tray of fresh shots was delivered to the table, causing a rather drunk Yang to shoot up from her seat and scoop him into a bearhug, singing his praises and briefly cutting off his ability to breathe.

Letting him go, Yang sat down and took one of them, before pausing and looking at everyone with watery eyes. “Guys, guys he ordered us the top shelf stuff. I hope Tacita doesn’t mind but I think I’m in love.”

Chrystal waited until Yang lifted her non-shot drink to her lips before quipping. “Oh I don’t think she’d mind, I’ve caught her glancing at your arse a few times.”

It had the intended effect, with Yang immediately coughing on her drink and choking on it a few moments as Blake hit her on the back a few times while actually fully laughing, which was a rare but beautiful sound. 

Yang looked at Chrystal with wide eyes. “Really??”

“No you idiot, she’s straight.” Chrystal smirked, sipping her bourbon and soda before her own eyes widened when Kylar snatched up one of the shots and drank it, cringing as it burned his throat and stomach.

He wasn’t a regular drinker, or a heavy one, but sometimes you’ve got to surprise people. It’s part of being an introvert.

Sometimes you subvert expectations just for fun.

Ruby watched the exchange with confused eyes, and when she looked up at Kylar in a silent request for clarification he merely shrugged with a grin, getting a desperate and helpless look in response.

Pausing for a moment to decide if he felt like playing the card he wanted to play just to make her pout, he internally shrugged and went for it, grinning.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

As he predicted, she glared at him and spoke up. “I am not a kid!”

“Well, in that case, are you _sure_ you want to drink?” Sitting down next to the girl, he gave her a curious look, waiting patiently as she considered it.

“Well, that’s the adult thing to do, isn’t it? And I’m team leader. Leading by example and all of that.”

In response, Kylar grinned and then pointed to where both Chrystal and Yang were swaying and talking far too loudly, Blake often having to grab Yang’s sleeve to stop the girl falling over. Though Blake herself wasn’t exactly upright either.

“Do they seem like adults to you?”

Glancing at them, Ruby giggled with a hand over her mouth. “They look like you’re having fun though.”

“They’re being mean to you. Spirits like vodka and bourbon are rough for someone’s first drink, when your body isn’t used to the ethanol.”

“The what now?” Ruby blinked at the word in confusion, and he relented and smiled, accepting that he genuinely was talking to someone younger.

“The actual alcohol itself.”

“Oh! Well why didn’t you just say that?”

“Because I’m determined to sound clever all the time.” Kylar said innocently as he took a sip of his own drink, and she gave a giggle.

“Careful everyone, he’s becoming self-aware.”

Blinking and raising his eyebrows at her, he shoved her shoulder slightly. “When did _you_ develop an attitude?”

“As you are all constantly reminding me, I am a teenager. It’s my job.”

Laughing at the comment, Kylar nodded to concede the point before patting the table with his hand a few times gently in thought and then standing. “Back in a second, hang on. Do you like apples, by any chance?”

“Of course! They grow all over Patch.”

“Good. Back in a second.”

Hopping up to the bar, he ordered a basic cider and made his way back to the table, offering her the bottle. “This is weaker and less concentrated than what we’re drinking, it’s a bit easier on the tastebuds for a first-time drinker as well. Take a sip and if you don’t like it, I’m happy to drink it.”

“God, you sound like a dad.” Ruby rolled her eyes in amusement even as she cracked the lid and looked at the liquid inside suspiciously.

“I’m on a team with Shina and Chrystal. I _am_ a dad.”

Snorting and giving a grin, she took a deep breath for bravery before slowly lifting the bottle to her lips and taking a sip, wincing as it went over her tastebuds before swallowing and pausing a few moments.

“It tastes really weird, but not in a usual way? It’s strange. But after the weird is gone, it’s pretty nice.”

“The weird taste goes away the more you drink, your tongue gets used to it. By the time you’re halfway through that bottle, you won’t notice it at all.”

“Isn’t it illegal for me to drink?”

“Yes. But I’m told my team have that sort of reputation now anyway.”

“...yeah. You do. Just like ours.” Ruby grinned as she took another drink, a slightly larger one, and her eyebrows went up for a moment. “Hey, it was slightly weaker already this time!”

“Ciders are good for that. But still, take it slow. Your body isn’t used to it.”

Ruby grumbled at being told what to do, but he could see it sink in and he smiled, the two of them finally tuning into the conversation at the table.

After a few moments of them re-engaging, Yang looked over to properly bring them into the conversation and then noticed the bottle in Ruby’s hands. She looked to Kylar with a melodramatically shocked expression.

“Kylar Goroesi, are you introducing my sweet innocent little sister to _booze?? The devil's drink??_ ”

“I am rescuing her from your cruelty.”

“ _Cruelty???_ I did her a favour!”

“Which was?”

Stammering and stumbling over her words for a few moments, Yang just gave a playful glare to Kylar before looking to her sister. “You okay with it, Rubes?”

“It’s...nice.” Ruby nodded, taking another sip and looking at the bottle, studying it. “Not what I thought alcohol would taste like though.”

“Never is. That’s the best part.” Yang gave her a smile, before turning briefly serious through her drunken haze and putting a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, practically leaning over Blake during the act of trying to be supportive. “If you don’t wanna, you don’t gotta. But if you wanna, we’ll take care of ya.”

“..by ‘we’ she means _me._ ” Blake gave her team leader a smile, pointedly looking at the state that Yang was in, the girl practically laying on Blake’s lap to reach Ruby over her. “God, how many times has Chrystal had to deal with this?”

“I’m normally in the same state, so we take care of each other!” Chrystal grinned, looking just as messed up as Yang was, and the two of them were having the time of their lives.

“Oh gods.” Blake let out an exasperated sigh and, feeling the need, took a shot, again having no reaction to the powerful alcohol. Kylar raised an eyebrow and she gave a shrug.

“What? I had a life before Beacon too. I didn’t just _spawn_ at orientation.”

They both heard a giggle from near them, and Kylar and Blake looked over to see as Weiss had covered her mouth to hide the sound at something Sunny had said. The bottle of whatever they had ordered was half-empty, and the dignified and polite composure of the two prestigious Atlesian heirs was now rapidly evaporating away.

Blake let out a low whistle in wonder. “That’s a new one. I almost feel like making a wish due to the wonder of the event.”

“Just like I do at the apparent event of Sunny telling a joke.” Kylar remarked, the two of them looking to each other and smiling.

“Oi, if you two are gonna chatter, switch with Ruby, Chrystal and I need to teach her about a few things.”

“Oh. By. The. Gods.” Blake practically whimpered, taking another shot and passing one to Kylar, the man also feeling the need for one at the thought of what Ruby was about to go through.

Ruby gave a smile to Blake as they swapped places, Blake now sitting across from Kylar directly, resting her drink on the table and tracing the rim of her glass with a fingertip in thought.

“You doing okay, Kylar?”

“In what way?” Kylar sat back and gave her a curious look, getting one in response.

“We’ve both been going after the same sort of things. We got Torchwick, but it feels like the job is half finished. And you guys are chasing a different part of it that’s just as important to you, I can tell because you look as tired as I felt back when I was going insane over it.”

“We had a breakthrough but everything got more complicated, and we also agreed not to actually _act_ until after the tournament. We want this to be our priority, so in the past two weeks it’s just been information gathering.” Kylar sighed, swirling his own drink in the glass and shaking his head in frustration. She nodded in sympathy and understanding.

Raising her glass off the table, she gestured with it in a tired voice and a shared exhausted smile. “Well, here’s to dead-ends and the fights still to come.”

“Hear hear.” Kylar sighed, raising his own drink and clinking it against hers, both of them taking a gulp.

Another laugh from near them had Kylar glance his eyes over and smirk, looking to where Blake was looking at a laughing Yang, a gentle and fond smile on her face.

“Make a wish.”

“Hmm?” Looking back to him, Blake looked over when he pointedly looked to where Weiss was hiding another giggle, Sunny seeming just as amused.

Blake looked at him with raised eyebrows and let out a deep breath in surprise before looking back to Yang, smiling at her again without the girl noticing. Across the table, Chrystal smiled at the way she looked at Yang, feeling a warmth in her heart at it.  
Chrystal flicked her eyes between the two girls for a moment and she took a sip of her drink.

This sort of thing was normally her territory. But Blake had more of a kinship with Kylar than she did with Chrystal, so she had no idea how to even _broach_ that conversation with the shy girl.

Chrystal was more than aware that getting these two girls finally together was going to be an _endeavour_.

Both Kylar and Blake sat in a comfortable silence, both being that person on their team who could, only making the occasional comment to each other and to the others there. Twenty minutes later, Ruby asked Kylar for another cider, and he almost refused until she gave him the most perfect puppy eyes he’d ever experienced, and he relented.  
Meanwhile Yang was clearly relishing in the new experience of a tipsy Ruby, the normally shy girl growing louder and more confident, happily engaging Chrystal in animated conversation when they knew that Chrystal normally intimidated her despite Chrystal’s best efforts to deal with it.

And once Blake gave in and started participating in the shot challenge properly, things escalated rather quickly. While Blake clearly was completely accustomed to heavy alcohol, she wasn’t immune to it, and the normally composed and silent introvert rapidly became a giggler and playfully cheeky, letting out the sarcasm she normally kept inside.

Ruby eventually realised that Chrystal was more likely to keep getting her ciders than Kylar was, and because Chrystal was perfectly able to pretend she was far more sober than she was, due to the fact she never swayed or wobbled or looked off-balance, it was an easy lie to sell. Even though Kylar knew that the bartender had wisened up and cottoned on to the truth, he’d clearly seen RWBY’s match, and was willing to give them the night.

But also, unsurprisingly, he knew Chrystal and liked her.  
All bartenders and bouncers did, apparently. Kylar rolled his eyes when he realised, smiling to himself.

Sunny was the first to leave, determined to keep up his fitness routine even now that his match was over, meaning he had to get up early in the morning. After a goodbye which Yang and Chrystal did very loudly, with a now very tipsy Ruby joining in enthusiastically, he gave them all a fond smile and made his way out, meaning Team SPKZ had retired for the night.  
After coming over with a few stern words with them all about the state they were all in, Weiss couldn’t defend herself when Blake pointed out that the heiress was _also_ swaying on the spot, and after a few pokings she actually gave in and moved over to join them, bringing her bottle with her.

Having finished his most recent drink, Kylar asked for a taste and she obliged, giving him a smile as she did so.

“I always have liked and respected you Kylar, I want you to know that.”

“Is this you talking, or the... _mead_??” He looked at his glass in surprise as after taking his first sip, before glancing at her.

“Not what you were expecting from Sunny and I, hmm?” Weiss raised an eyebrow as she took a sip of her own drink. “It’s impossible to make in Atlas, so it’s considered quite the rare delicacy. But also, I’m telling the truth, _this_ is just the sort of place where I _can_ say it. Where I don’t have to be The Schnee. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

“I’ve always liked and respected you too, Weiss. The lunch we had was...well, it was the proper protocol. But here, in a more informal setting, a more...genuine one...well,” Kylar gave her a true and genuine smile, a warm one. “You saved my life. Thank you. I’ll never be able to repay you for it.”

“You likely saved _dozens_ . Thank _you_.” She smiled in return, and the two clinked drinks. “I’m sorry for the distance that’s between us out in public. If things didn't have to be that way, you and I would be able to work on our understanding of our Semblances together due to how similar they clearly are. But instead I'm expected to maintain a distance.”

“It’s okay. I’ve always understood, and I’ve never held it against you.”

“You don’t?” Weiss asked in a voice that was a mixture of curious, surprised, and strangely insecure and worried.

“Of course I don’t. Sometimes we are what others want us to be, but underneath that we are still who we are. And...I like who you _are_ are. Just because our fathers have their differences doesn't mean we have to, behind closed doors. My father likes you, by the way. You impressed him in your match.” Giving her a shrug to punctuate the casual truth of his answer, he sat back as she pondered it.

“I wish my father was more like yours.” She said quietly, giving a sad look down to her drink and swirling the contents.

It was in a voice so vulnerable and sad that he could _feel_ that it was an almost impossible thing to come from the girl. So he knew he had to tread gently.

“And I wish your father was the sort of man where you wouldn’t have to say something like that. I’m sorry that things with him are the way they are.”

“There is no unmaking of a man like him, unfortunately.” Weiss scowled, a thought hitting her mind that, in a flinch of panic, had her eyes flick over to the shot glasses in temptation to wash away her fear, before she shook the urge away. “He has firmly decided to be the man that he is, with no chance for anything else.”

Nodding as he thought over it, he glanced over to the others who remained, able to quietly go over the similarities between Ruby and Yang that were there despite how different they were as people. The marks of losing her family that were on Chrystal yet the similarities she shared with Shina because of _his_ parents. And while Blake was an unknown, he’d make a fair bet that her parents had given her a lot of the personality they were able to see despite the fact she hid so much of it.

“I’m yet to pick which sort of man _I_ want to be. My father thinks I can be a good one, but he also says I’m a lot like him and my mother, and I don’t know if he considers those two things to be linked. Does that make sense?”

“Of course. Except instead of _coaxing_ my siblings and I, my father _demands_ on us moulding to his expectations.” Weiss nodded, tilting her head as she took another sip, finishing her glass and putting it down, keeping it empty for now. “But we have time. You and I, Kylar, we can be more than they want us to be.”

Before Kylar could answer, little Ruby loudly slurred a sentence that didn’t manage to have any clear words in it, simply a loud giggle at the end. The poor inexperienced girl had gotten too drunk too quickly. Having no experience with alcohol, at all, she’d made the amateur mistake of speeding up. Losing track of time as she got tipsy and thinking more time had passed between drinks then had actually passed, so speeding up without realising.  
Kylar noted how many bottles of cider were on the table and he pinned Chrystal with an exhausted look, getting a completely unapologetic wink in response.

Sighing, trying to hide the small note of affection in the sound, Weiss cleared her throat to the others and stood. “I’ll get her back to her bed, it’s about time I turned in anyway.”

“WEISS!” Ruby giggled, hugging her teammate tightly as Weiss pulled her to her feet, Ruby humming happily. “We kicked sooo much ass in the fight, didn’t we? You and I rocked that so hard. You’re the best. No, wait, _we’re_ the best!”

“So I’ve been told.” Weiss rolled her eyes, before cupping Ruby’s face in both hands to make her look into her eyes. “So, have you had fun? Well done, you’re drunk for the first time. Has tonight been fun?”

“YES!”

“I’m glad. But if you want to do it again with us tomorrow night when SKTC win we should get you home so you can rest.” Weiss tried her best to hide her fond smile, but it touched the corner of her mouth, and warmed both Chrystal’s and Blake’s hearts when they were the only two to catch it.

Ruby whined, shaking her head so violently that Weiss had to let go of it. “Nonono! I want to stay longer. Chrystal and Yang say that I might be drunk enough to do shots without tasting them.”

“You are _not_ doing shots tonight, Ruby Rose!” Weiss scolded her, getting a loud whine and a pout from the girl, Ruby trying to pull out of her arms but failing. Pausing for a moment to think over it, Weiss decided a different tactic, making her voice gentle and playful. “Aren’t you hungry though? You haven’t eaten in _ages_ Ruby.”

“...yes…” Ruby whined, suddenly rubbing her stomach and looking sad. “Starving…”

“Well, it’s getting late. If you want to get some noodles or burgers from the fairgrounds before bed we have to start heading back soon before they close. Would you like some noodles?”

Suddenly Ruby’s eyes brightened and the biggest smile came across her face. “I do! Oh wow that sounds _so good_. You sure they close soon?”

“Mhmm. So we should hurry! Let’s get you noodles so you can eat them in bed while you play on the tv?”

Nodding enthusiastically, Ruby immediately pulled away from the tables and grabbed Weiss’ hand, starting to tug her towards the door. “BYE GUYS! Weiss and I are going to go get noodles!”

“So we’ve heard! Enjoy your noodles!” Chrystal called out, giving a playful wink to Weiss who simply rolled her eyes and escorted Ruby out.

The last thing they heard was a very loud scolding from Weiss.

“ _RUBY ROSE!_ If you try and speed off into rose petals while drunk, I am never buying you noodles ever again!”

“But they close soon! We need to hurry!”

As their voices faded too far for them to hear, Chrystal and Yang had the widest grins on their faces. Kylar shuffled over, with all four of them now at the same table. With the shots finished, the bartender taking the tray away, only their casual drinks remained, with Kylar putting the bottle Weiss had left behind in the center of the table for them all to drink from.

When the bartender passed by to grab the tray, Chrystal looked up at him with a wide smile. “Hey Travis, how long are you staying open tonight?”

“Another three hours maybe? Expecting another rush once the fairgrounds close.” The man smiled as he glanced at each of them in turn. “If this weren’t your victory day I’d have cut you off by now, but you girls made all of Vale proud today. Chrystal, and...Kylar, right? I trust you to keep an eye on them and yourselves.”

“You got it, boss. Thank you.” Chrystal gave him a smile, before giving a look at the shot try with a question in her eyes.

Thinking over it for a minute, Travis sighed and rolled his eyes. “One more tray, then you’re only getting regular drinks, got it?”

“You’re a champion and I love you.” Chrystal batted her eyelashes at him, and he gave a chuckle before wandering away.

“...you really do know everyone, don’t you.” Blake chuckled, taking her first sip of the mead and her eyes widening, looking down at it. “Woah. I’ve...what is this?”

“Mead. Fermented honey, basically. I mean, there are varieties, and this one is clearly a Mistralian spice blend, but…” Kylar shrugged helplessly and looked at her. “Alcoholic honey. That’s the gist.”

“How have I never had this before?” Blake looked into her class and spoke in a voice full of curious wonder, clearly in her own version of rather tipsy.

She immediately took another drink, and only Yang noticed as the bow on her head twitched, hiding the happy flick of her ears inside. The blonde gave a warm smile, forgetting who was around, and Chrystal couldn’t help but feel a pang of hope in her chest. The way the two girls looked at each other without either of them realising, or noticing the other one doing it...

When the plate of shots were placed in front of them, Kylar stopped Chrystal from reaching into her wallet and instead paid for it himself, getting a soft kiss on the cheek from his teammate, who shuffled closer to him to fill her glass with mead, humming happily.

“Your team are all pretty affectionate, aren’t you?” Yang asked, slightly more sober than she had been at her worst. Those with Awakened Auras burnt off toxins faster than normal bodies, just like they healed wounds, and that included alcohol.

“We’re each pretty close, in our own ways.” Chrystal shrugged, giving Kylar an affectionate glance and he smiled at her.

“It’s sweet.” Blake smiled, glancing at Yang. “Just like you and Ruby.”

“Well we’re sisters, it’s part of the gig.” Yang grinned with a nod, before gesturing to Kylar and Chrystal with her hand. “But this is different. It’s...what’s the word again?”

“Platonic.” Kylar provided, and Yang nodded in satisfaction at it. Kylar continued. “And yeah, for the most part. Chrystal and Shina are practically siblings, Tacita and I have been together for years now, and _you…_ ” He looked at Chrystal. “Are just a naturally affectionate person.”

“Anything wrong with that?” Chrystal looked offended, before gesturing to Yang. “If you don’t want my hugs, I’m sure Yang would be happy to tolerate even more than the ones she gets from me already.”

“Always!” Yang grinned, standing and bundling into Chrystal for a hug that had Chrystal squeaking as she almost fell off her chair. Kylar rolled his eyes and grinned at Blake, who was smiling between Yang and Chrystal, eventually noticing and smiling back at him.

The currently squeezed Chrystal glanced at Kylar with a desperate ‘ _Help me’_ look, and he grinned before reaching for the shots on the table and throwing one back, it being easier now due to the quality being higher and the fact he was far tipsier than before.

“Well well! The nerd breaks first!” Yang put a hand over her mouth in exaggerated shock as she let Chrystal go and went back to her own chair, before taking her own shot as if challenged. 

This was immediately followed by Chrystal, who raised her eyebrows at Blake, who rolled her eyes and smiled before taking one as well.

“What about you, Blake?” Chrystal looked at the girl curiously as she put down her shot glass, giving a smile. “Either you or the Ice Queen the cuddly types?”

Going slightly pink, Blake shook her head and schooled her features. “Not particularly, not quite a part of my experiences.”

“I was the same way before Beacon.” Kylar nodded in sympathy, taking a sip and swirling it in his glass.

“Bullshit, weren’t you and Tacita already a thing?” Yang gave him an incredulous look.

“Well sure, but when you’ve only had the one experience with affection it’s still hard and weird to get used to the _other_ types, or even it coming from other _people_.” Kylar sighed, and Blake nodded in complete agreement.

“What about _you_ , Chrystal?” Blake returned the question, tilting her head in intrigued curiosity as the girl deflated slightly. “I’m...really glad for you and Petyr, by the way. You’re good together.”

“Seconded.” Yang smiled, reaching over to grab Chrystal’s shoulder for a moment. “You two shine together.”

Smiling down at the table shyly, Chrystal bit her bottom lip and let out a slow breath as her thoughts went to Petyr. But then she began to think over Blake’s question and her mind went down a dark memory lane, an unhealthy one, and she sighed.

“Well, me…” Pausing a moment, she took a shot for bravery, which had Blake and Yang glance at each other in slight concern. “Sure, I grew up with Shina, and he’s my brother in all but blood. But...he’s not my _family_ , you know? I knew my family. Parents. My twin brother. I remember them.”

“Wait, you had a twin brother?” Yang frowned, sitting forward. “You never told me that. I thought it was just your parents.”

“What are we talking about?” Blake asked, confused and concerned, looking between the three other people at the table, completely out of the loop.

Tapping her glass on the table, Chrystal nodded at Yang and looked to Blake. “My family died when I was eleven. House fire. It’s when I unlocked my aura and my Semblance, it saved my life. But none of theirs. After that I moved in with Shina’s family and they raised me. He and I grew up as siblings, and we _do_ have that sibling affection. But I still remember my actual twin brother, and how it felt. Shina’s mum hugs me and it's great, but I remember _my_ mum’s hugs.”

Pausing, with silence at the table, Chrystal looked between her glass and the shot tray and immediately took another shot quickly.

“So, and we’re about to go dark here, a few years after I...well...entered puberty, I of course then entered the academy. Once there, I found myself looking for affection in all the ways I could. There was a gap. I needed it filled.”

She paused again, her mind stumbling over a memory, and while Yang looked hooked and almost _almost_ overeager, Blake was completely patient and understanding, a gentle and compassionate look in her eyes, and also, if Kylar and Chrystal were seeing right, ... _understanding._ The sort of understanding that comes from having felt similar ways.

“I...was fourteen. He was my age. I liked him, he liked me, plenty of private places in our town, blah blah.” Glancing around at each of them, she gave a grim smile. “And it worked. Sort of? So I sat on it, thinking over it, practically studying what it had been for months. Shina turned fifteen and became the local heartbreaker, I turned fifteen and gave into _catharsis_. Only guys at first, because that was ‘normal’, but eventually girls too once I realised.”

“Wait, you’re…?” Blake raised her eyebrows, her cheeks tinting slightly pink. Chrystal nodded and gave a small smile.

“Yes. Cypher from Team CULD? She and I were together for a while.”

“That’s...something I did not notice. Hmm.” Blake frowned, her mind going elsewhere for a few moments, before she snapped out of it and looked back to Chrystal. “Sorry, go on, if you’d like to.”

“...is it a problem? That I’m…?” Chrystal asked tentatively, her eyes flicking between Blake and Yang. Blake’s eyes immediately widened and she shook her head.

“No! No of course not. It’s just that not many people are _open_ about being...you know. But of course it’s okay.”

Stumbling for a moment, Blake took a shot quickly, her eyes fluttering in a way that Chrystal recognised, meanwhile Yang was looking at Blake’s mild panic moment with concern.

“Nothing to panic about. It’s okay. I’ve been...open about it since before Beacon.” Chrystal smiled, before the smile faded and she drummed her hands on the table. “But anyway, yeah, I sorta...well I wasn’t as bad as Shina. In a lot of ways I treated it like a study. I was looking for comfort that was a suitable substitute for the gap I felt. I needed comfort. But I was scared. What if I found it and lost it again? So I stopped.”

Laughing sadly at the memory of it, Chrystal sipped her mead to straighten her thoughts and also buy herself a few moments. Thinking, she turned to Kylar and gave him a specific look. “Hey Kylar, I hate doing this, but do you mind if…?”

“Hmm?” Kylar blinked, before frowning for a moment in concern and nodding, standing up with a stretch. “Sure. I’m not keen on getting any drunker anyway. Tacita turns in soon too. Have a good night, you three. Chrystal, don’t make too much noise when you crash back. Yang, Blake? You two were amazing today. We’re scared of you now.”

“Oh, uhh, goodnight Kylar.” Yang stammered out in confusion at what was happening, Blake frowning in just as much confusion but nodding goodnight as well.

“Goodnight Kylar, thank you for coming out with us.”

“My pleasure. As long as you’re out here with us tomorrow night for _our_ victory?” Kylar tilted his head in a playful question, and when they both nodded with smiles he smiled back.

As he stepped away he sighed, reaching into his pocket and tossing Chrystal his wallet. “We both know you don’t have the money for three more hours. No matter how much you’ve stolen lately.”

Coughing out in shock at his last comment, her eyes widening even as she caught his wallet, her mouth opening and closing a few times.

Kylar gave her a flat look. “Tacita.”

“ _Fuck.”_ She swore, looking down at the table, a flush of shame going through her. “Look, Kylar, it’s…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kylar gave a small kind smile. “Not a talk for tonight. Maybe not a talk ever. Goodnight girls.”

Smiling at her teammate in watery gratitude, Chrystal waved as she put his wallet on the table near her hand, looking back to the other two.

“What on earth was _that?”_ Yang blinked with raised eyebrows.

“What does he mean by you stealing?” Blake asked at the same time, her eyebrows also raised.

Sighing, Chrystal waved a hand to casually dismiss them as important topics, but quickly answered them both anyway.

“Our team has an agreement that we can ask for private conversations with other people at any time. I don’t like exposing this part of myself to any of them. No matter how much I trust them, it’s just...a thing. As for the stealing, Blake...ugh, fine. I steal. Regularly. It’s a habit.”

“A habit, huh?” Yang asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, getting a playful glare from Chrystal.

Giving a hum of curiosity as Blake thought over it, sipping her drink, she nodded slowly as a connection occurred to her. “Catharsis. Control.”

“What?” Yang blinked, confused, as she looked between the two.

“You do it for the sense of control and power.” Blake gave Chrystal an understanding smile, the girl looking at her with shocked and bewildered eyes.

“Okay, Yang? Leave the psychoanalysis to Blake. She’s _clearly_ got it handled.” Chrystal let out a slow breath in shock to handle her thoughts, getting a hum in agreement from Yang and a confused look from Blake.

“We talk a lot when we go out and apparently I try and figure her out a bit too deeply a lot.” Yang smiled at Blake. “We don’t just get smashed and dance.”

“Though that _is_ most of it.” Chrystal interrupted, shrugging, Yang tilting her head to concede the point. Chrystal smiled. “But...you should come out with us some time, Blake.”

“Me? At a club?” Blake looked apprehensive, and both Chrystal and Yang nodded enthusiastically.

“Absolutely! You’ve got the legs for dancing and you’ve got the grace for it too.” Chrystal gave her a cheers with her glass and drank from it, noting the slight spark of pink on the girl’s cheeks, and the slight look of both surprise and _almost_ jealousy from Yang.

Unsure how else to respond, Blake simply took a shot. It was going to hit her like a train, she just knew it, they were stacking on top of each other. But the bravery and confidence it gave her was necessary considering the curveballs Chrystal kept throwing at her.

“...maybe sometime.”

“Well, we know a club that stays open after midnight, and it’s not even ten yet. You guys won a victory today. An incredible one. I’m down if you two are.” Chrystal gave them both a smile. And when Blake looked down at the table shyly, apparently considering it, the confidence fuelled by the alcohol combined with the previous conversation topic, and the presence of the girl next to her, were apparently all combining to overpower her introversion.

Yang risked giving a shocked and terrified glare to Chrystal, who shrugged innocently.

“...you wouldn’t mind, Yang?” Blake mumbled, finishing her glass and looking at her teammate with a vulnerable look. “I’ve never really been to a club. Not to dance or drink anyway. And it does appear to be a day of new experiences? I think I’d be okay if you were there.”

Yang gave her a look of intense surprise.

“Okay, I didn’t know _that_ , or I would have dragged you out before this. That settles it, we’re heading to Junior’s” Yang slammed the table dramatically, the three of them quickly finishing the shots, Chrystal noting that Yang downed most of them, clearly nervous.

Waving to Travis as they left, Chrystal let the smile appear on her face as both her and Yang’s energy began to feed into Blake, whose terror was turning into apprehensive excitement.

Reaching Junior’s in record time, the moment the bouncer saw them coming he let them in with a smile, passing a quick congratulations to Yang and Blake as they passed, Yang shooting him a grin while Blake simply looked down shyly.

Stepping into the club, none of them had their weapons, so they were able to pass down into the club itself without needing to stop. When Melanie looked up from the bar and spotted Yang, her eyes widened in nervousness, but Chrystal mouthed that it was okay and she’d vouch for them, and the woman relaxed.

Mostly.

“So, which do people normally do first? The drinking or the dancing?” Blake looked between the bar and the dancefloor, her face sealing off again as she internally started putting a wall between herself and what was happening around her.

Having none of that, Chrystal stepped between them and took one of their hands in each of hers, leading them into the middle of the divide between the two areas.

“What happens now, my loves, is that _you two_ go and dance!” She dropped their hands and instead put a hand on each of their backs and pushed them gently. “While -I- set us up a tab so we can drink easy peasy!”

Looking over her shoulder at Chrystal in a mixture of excitement and nervousness, Yang’s eyes were almost pleading in her anxiety, and Chrystal rolled her eyes at how much this wasn’t normally like her. Not at all like the girl who she’d danced with the other night. So she gave Yang a reassuring look and smile, looking to Blake’s back for a moment before mouthing to Yang.

 _‘It’s just dancing, you idiot. Just pretend it’s me. Celebrate. Please in the name of god celebrate what happened today. She’s your_ _partner_ _and you won a victory today. Together.’_

Not giving the girl time to respond, though she did see a look of confidence and reassurance start to appear in the blonde’s eyes, Chrystal immediately turned to the bar and leant on it, Melanie moving over to her the moment she was free, the girl giving her a suspicious look.

“What are you up to, Chrysalis?”

“A favour that a friend hasn’t asked for. Shina still here?”

“Nah, he and the huntsmen he was with bailed about half an hour ago.”

“To go home? That’s early. Oh, wait….” She sighed, rolling her eyes with a grin. “He was with Velvet. Of course, yeah he’s...having a late night. But anyway, I need to set up a tab for my two friends, hon.”

“Can do.” Melanie led her over to where a small terminal was set up, and she began to punch it in. “Want it under your name?”

“Nah, put it under Team RWBY. It’s their celebration, after all.”

“Cute.” Melanie gave her a smile, tapping it in. “Okay, how much?”

“Fifty Lien”

“You’re shitting me, for three people? Are you planning on alcohol poisoning?” Melanie raised her eyebrows, and Chrystal shook her head with a grin.

“For two people, and they won’t use all of it. Carry it over to me for the next time I’m here.”

“Alright then, can do.” Melanie gave a baffled laugh as she took the money from Chrystal and entered it into the register.

Nodding, Melane gave her a smile before immediately having to go deal with other customers, and Chrystal gave her a grateful wave as she immediately skipped her way over to the dancefloor and joined where the other two were dancing, Yang actually getting smiles and laughs out of Blake from how awkwardly and playfully they were dancing. It made Chrystal smile as she hopped up to them.

“Alright, tab is set up under the name RWBY, and you should be good for the night. I’ve put fifty lien on it, because that was the only note I had and Kylar banned me from spending his money _here_.”

“Fifty??” Yang paused in swinging Blake around to give Chrystal a baffled look, before it turned into a grin. “Alright then, we’ll do our best. Join us for a dance?”

“Tell you what. You go get some drinks, and I’ll _actually_ show Blake how dancing goes?” Chrystal stuck her tongue out at Yang, who narrowed her eyes, knowing Chrystal was kidding, but relented, giving Blake a wide smile as she dropped her hands and stepped away.

Blake gave a squeak when Chrystal pulled her in and began to dance with her properly, but not as intensely as she would normally dance with Yang, not wanting to overwhelm her. Soon Blake was smiling and getting the hang of it, bouncing to the music, taking a drink from Yang happily when the girl returned with them, the dark haired girl sipping it happily as she continued to dance and bounce around even once Chrystal let go of her to take her own drink.

Looking to Yang and knowing she had the safety of the loud music, Chrystal gave her a comforting and reassuring smile. “Go on. It’s your night. And it’s her night too. Now, go get her.”

“Chrystal, you’re doing this on purpose.” Yang growled, but her eyes wouldn’t leave the grinning and bouncing Blake.

“Of course I am.” Chrystal kissed Yang’s cheek quickly and put her free hand on the small of her back, nudging her towards Blake. “Be who you are, Yang Xiao Long. It’s you that she likes and kicked ass with today..”

Shooting a glare at Chrystal that didn’t really have any fire behind it, Yang finished her drink quickly and passed the empty glass, before steeling herself, taking Blake’s empty drink from her hands to pass to Chrystal, and taking her teammate to dance the way Yang Xiao Long knew how to goddamn dance.

Taking the empty glasses back to the bar, Chrystal hopped a few steps so she was standing near the door, and she waited until Yang next noticed her. Noticing where Chrystal was standing, Yang’s eyes widened and a spark of panic went through her.

Chrystal merely blew her a playful kiss and waved goodbye with a wink, before stepping outside.

Standing out on the sidewalk in the air of the rather warm night, Chrystal looked up at where the arena was in the air, where she’d be fighting tomorrow. Putting her hands in the pockets of her jeans, she began to make her way back to Beacon, and her room.

Letting her mind wander to Blake and Yang, the moment that Blake had reacted the way she did to Chrystal being so open about swinging both ways….The moment that had happened, Chrystal had known the truth about her too.

She knew that look. Because only a little while ago, Yang had given her the exact same one.

Smiling to herself almost sadly, but with a tinge of hope, she glanced back down the street at the club just before turning the corner onto the main street.

_‘It’s just dancing.’_ She had said.

But as she had learned with Cypher months ago...when you’re dancing with someone you want, and who wants you in return?

It’s never ‘just dancing.’

Pulling a hand out of her pocket to cross her fingers for them, she wasn’t expecting miracles.  
This was just the first step.

Yet for now, glancing back up at the arena and speeding up her walk back home, she had her own obstacle in front of her.  
Thinking about what was coming tomorrow, she couldn’t stop the eager grin from coming over her face and the spark appearing in her eyes.

They were ready. Now they just had to show it.

To the whole world.

But as she continued only a few paces further, she stopped again, the thought of her ex-girlfriend sticking into her mind.

Closing her eyes for a few moments, she had something she knew she needed to do. So quickly making her way into the Academy grounds, she pulled out her scroll to send a text to Cypher, knowing that her ex's scroll was always set to loud.

_'I know it's late, but I really need to talk to you.  
Meet me on the dorm roof?'_

Sending it through, she quickly began walking back to her dorm without waiting for a reply, unlocking her room as quietly as she could and slipping inside, unsurprised to see that Shina wasn't back yet and Kylar was awake reading by lamplight, with Tacita fast asleep.

"Fun night?" Kylar asked quietly when he looked up from his book, giving her a small smile which turned into a frown as she quickly walked over to her bed and knelt down to reach underneath it.

"Blake and Yang are still at the club. And I'm afraid this is another of those things you can't ask about. Please, Kylar." She sighed as she pulled out the folder on Neo that Junior had given her.  
Standing, she looked over at him, and the concerned look he had on his face, glancing down at the folder in her hands and raising an eyebrow.

"Chrystal..."

"I know how shady this looks, but I promise that I have to do it, but I also can't tell you what it is or why I'm doing it. I need you to trust me."

The look she gave him was so desperately pleading that, after giving her a worried look for half a minute, he nodded, going back to his book. "Just don't put us in any danger, if you can help it."

"Thank you." She breathed out her answer gratefully before quickly leaving, locking the door behind her, and quickly making her way up onto the roof, unsurprised to find Cypher waiting at their usual spot, looking the same as she always did; immaculate short pink hair, pixie features, bright green eyes, and a dancer's build shown through her tight white leathers, with her arms exposed from her vest. Always the same.

As Chrystal approached, Cypher gave her a warm smile, which turned into a deep look of worry at the anxious and hesitant pace Chrystal was walking, and the expression she had on her face. Stopping in front of Cypher, Chrystal took in a deep breath and let it out shakily.

"Thanks for coming to meet so late."

_"Of course. Are you okay? "_

One of the only reasons they had worked so well was because Chrystal was one of the few people in the school who could speak sign language, so was one of the small handful of people who could communicate with Cypher properly. But, in a strange way, it made the idea of this particular conversation harder.

"We just...I..." Chrystal took in another breath and let it out slowly. "So you remember the Gunship? Talking to Torchwick?"

_"Yeah?...What about it?"_

"And the way he looked at you?"

_"...yes?...I'd forgotten about that until now."_

"And...the footage we stole?"

_"Chrystal, you're practically hyperventilating and you're worrying me. What's going on?"_

Fumbling for a few moments as she brought up the folder and opened it, she began flipping through the information inside with nervous fingers, trying to steady her breathing. "Well, Junior helped track that woman down. She works for Torchwick, pretty much his right-hand."

_"Okay...so why are you freaking out?"_

"It's...she can change appearances. Powerful visual illusions, as a Semblance. That wasn't what she really looks like. This is." Taking out the clearest photograph of Neo he'd given her, she flinched for a moment before handing it to Cypher.

Looking down at the photo, Cypher's eyes went wide and she stumbled back a few steps, unblinking. Now that Chrystal was finally able to see the photos, and Cypher, at the same time, she became even more certain of what possibility had struck horror into her the moment Junior had handed her the folder and she'd looked at Neo for the first time.

"Reports say that her aura is pink. She's estimated to be our age. And...she's also a mute. You're a Vale orphan." Taking in a final breath, Chrystal let it out as she finally said it;

"Cypher, I think you have a sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More and more signs of Chrystal's thought process! Also I couldn't help but throw in Drunk Ruby.


	15. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cypher retreats to deal with her thoughts and feelings of Chrystal's theory, SKTC make sure to wake early to prepare for their match, knowing it's inevitable due to it being the second day. When the randomizer puts them up against a team with a familiar face in it, it's a harder fight than Kylar and Tacita had hoped for, and just as hard as Shina and Chrystal wanted it to be.

Staring down at the photo in her grip, unable to blink, Cypher ran a finger over the woman in the photograph with shaking hands, tracing over the face as she felt things inside of herself start to shiver, things in her mind tingling and buzzing, things she couldn’t remember from a time before…

Before…

No matter how hard she had tried over the years, no matter how much time she had spent with therapists and even some Huntsmen whose Semblances focused on mending the mind or exploring it, she had no memories from before she was twelve years old.  
Apparently, according to Millie who was the grand matron of the orphanage at the time, she had arrived already with an awakened aura, and a half-developed Semblance. While her blinking wouldn’t come until later, the year before she’d come to Beacon, the first part of her semblance had already been there when she’d arrived at the orphanage;

Complete silence.

She couldn’t talk, her footsteps made no noise, even her laughter and coughing made no sound. And it extended to things she touched or interacted with, as long as they were inanimate objects. Slamming a door closed was just as silent, for example. Thankfully she was able to stop it affecting inanimate objects if she consciously wished, making her able to listen to music or rhythmically tap her pen or any such thing.

It had made keeping an eye on her as a teenager practically impossible for the matrons at the orphanage, but she’d apparently been such a carefree and happy child that it had never really been a cause of concern.  
Despite how unique her pink hair and green eyes were, they’d never been able to find her family, no matter how hard the officials had tried. So, she had simply grown up in one of the larger cities that weren’t Vale City itself, towards the Mistral border.

A city called Istburn, and while Cypher was barely hearing a word that Chrystal was stammering out as she read from the files she had in the folder, Cypher did hear that Istburn was where Junior’s contact, the one who specialised in specific fake identities, was based. The orphanage had an agreement with Beacon that the Academy could, at the end of every year, come and talk to teenagers about whether or not any of them had any interest in becoming Huntsmen.

If they did, Beacon would sponsor their training, as long as in their first year of service upon graduation they returned to Istburn to join the city guards for twelve months to protect the city against the aggressive Grimm that passed through the area.  
When she was thirteen, the representative from Beacon had arrived in the city to check in with the orphanage, and when she’d asked if the matrons had any specific children they thought might have the aptitude, she was simply given directions to the Istburn Ballet Academy.

To ask about Cypher.

The only child in the orphanage to already have an awakened aura and a fully-established Semblance. With no memory of who she was apart from her own name, and a semblance that made her totally silent, by then Cypher had both humorously but also slightly morbidly named her semblance Ghost Story. Because that’s what she was.

Arriving at the ballet studio and being directed to a specific rehearsal room, the Beacon representative had watched as a thirteen year old Cypher had danced, all alone. Dancing had always made her so happy, and she’d been told from the moment she’d started learning that she was a natural, with the natural build and grace for it. So she’d been in such a good mood when she was politely interrupted and asked if she wanted to become a Huntsman.

And of course she did.

Five years later, with a further evolved Semblance that had only raised more questions than answers as it got stronger, and still no memories of a time before the orphanage, she was stroking a photo of a girl and feeling her heart hammer in her chest, but she didn’t know why.

Finally looking away from it, instead of looking at her now silent ex-girlfriend she instead found herself gazing up at the moon in thought, with it thankfully unobstructed by the arena floating in the air. When Chrystal took a few steps closer and placed a hand on her shoulder, it was warm, and Cypher made sure not to pull away.  
Looking at Chrystal, she extended her hand palm up, and after a few moments of hesitation Chrystal handed the folder over for her to flick open and slide the photo back inside of, before closing it again and holding it against her chest in thought.

When Chrystal spoke again after a few minutes of quiet, she was back to reality enough that she could properly hear the words.

“Cypher, even if this is true...she did what she did.” Chrystal’s tone was mournful, and heavy, and she looked down as she said it. “I’m still...I still have to find her.”

All Cypher could do was nod, without looking at her. What other reaction could there even be?

It was an insane theory anyway, a possibility so unlikely it was barely worth considering. All the evidence was...based on a photograph and some similarities. Chrystal was right, it didn’t change what this ‘Neopolitan’ girl had done, the people that had died because of her, and whatever she had done even before that in her years working with Torchwick.  
Closing her eyes and squeezing them tightly shut, she didn’t resist when Chrystal wrapped her arms around her and held her tight, and she felt when Chrystal kissed the side of her head softly.

Even if she could have been able to talk, she had no idea what was even possible to say.

Straightening up, she handed the folder back to Chrystal, looking down at it as it passed from one pair of hands to another, and when it left her fingers the absence of the feel of it was strangely saddening.

“Are you okay?”

Chrystal’s voice was soft, and tentative. It was a tone that Cypher had heard from her a lot. One of the more vulnerable ones that she ever used, it sometimes seemed like she saved it for special occasions, and apparently this was one of them.

Looking up at her, Cypher thinned her lips.

_‘How long have you suspected?’_

“Only once I got the photos. A couple of days.” Chrystal sighed, shaking her head. “I wanted to sit on it and give it thought, but that wasn’t fair, so...here we are.”

Nodding slowly in understanding, Cypher gave a tiny smile, but it was all she was capable of.

_‘Thanks for telling me. I’ll be at your match tomorrow, I promise, but if I don’t see you before then...good luck.’_

And without waiting for a response, she closed her eyes and blinked away, practiced enough at moving around this particular building that she appeared sitting on her own bed with perfect accuracy, hugging her legs to her chest and propped up against her headboard. 

Not even looking up when Lelise jumped so violently on the bed next to hers she spilled her drink everywhere and swore loudly. But when Lelise clearly went to say something, Ursa must have stopped her by slightly raising her hand from where she’d been over at one of the small desks studying, the taller girl coming over quietly and sitting on the edge of Cypher’s bed, the mattress sinking down underneath her weight.

“...what happened up there, C?”

 _“Just things getting more complicated with what I’ve been helping Chrystal with. I can’t really talk about it.”_ Cypher thought, knowing Ursa could hear it, but she _also_ felt all of the emotions behind it, so Cypher wasn’t surprised to be pulled into a soft hug, her hair being stroked gently in the way that worked the best.

Swinging her legs around from laying on her bed, Lelise frowned as she shuffled to sit on the edge of her bed, as close as she could to the others without falling off of it outright.

“Did she say what’s wrong?”

“Just complications with that thing she’d been helping Chrystal with. But she’s messed up pretty bad, so...whatever it is must have really been…” Ursa sighed, shaking her head miserably as she pulled Cypher closer.

_“Still no Delilah again?”_

“Nope, but we both know she’ll turn up. Does every night.”

_“...okay.”_

Cypher was starting to feel like a terrible team leader for having no idea where her friend vanished to every night for hours and hours at a time, but Delilah had pleadingly asked them not to pry into it. Even so, it was getting ridiculous, and she spent all of her daylight hours alongside them with her emotions and thoughts so guarded that Ursa wasn’t even able to tell what they were, let alone help her with them.

The slight changes in her appearance had them all concerned, but Delilah had assured them it was just her Semblance evolving. Considering every time Cypher’s own Semblance got stronger her own appearance changed slightly, her hair getting more vibrant and her features getting even more pixieish, it wasn’t such an unbelievable answer. But all the same, the fact that Delilah clearly didn’t feel comfortable enough to work through her Semblance changes with the others did hurt Cypher a little bit.

And it definitely stung Lelise, Delilah’s partner and perhaps the only person that Delilah had ever really opened up to or spoken with in any sort of large burst.

But Cypher didn’t have it in herself to care about it right now, instead she was content to just curl up into Ursa and try and pretend she wasn’t terrified and a little heartbroken that not only was a potential member of her lost family so close, but she was a murderer who was responsible for the deaths of over a hundred civilians during the battle at the breach.

Not to mention everything Torchwick had done in the city.

Drumming her fingers on the edge of her bed across from her, Lelise bit her lips as she thought over her possible ways to help. She wasn’t particularly...emotionally available or emotionally intelligent, Ursa was the hugger.  
She was a far simpler being. She hit stuff hard, ate too much food, slept in, and watched terrible tv.

Rising to her feet silently, she skipped her way into the dorm’s small kitchen and threw open their fridge almost hard enough the door snapped, making her wince in regret at losing focus for a moment. Clicking her tongue at the available options inside, which were limited, she leant back and checked the clock, seeing it was half past ten. A few of the food vendors at the fairground stands had elected to stay open at night specifically for the students and others who trained late. So options _were_ available.  
Patting her wallet in her pocket, she smiled to herself in determination as she stepped out of the kitchen and opened the front door.

Knowing Ursa, the girl would be comforting Cypher for about another half an hour, which was more than long enough for Lelise to devise her own remedy for the situation.

“Gimme ten minutes! Back in a tick!”

Looking up at where Lelise had abruptly left the room, both Cypher and Ursa looked at each other with the same confused but fond expression.

Releasing Cypher so they could both readjust to be laying on the bed with their backs propped up against the headboard, Ursa wrapped an arm around her so Cypher could rest her head on her shoulder.

“Are you looking forward to watching Sketch’s fight tomorrow, at least?”

_“Of course. Are you really determined to watch the matches the entire day?”_

“Well yeah, only a handful of team matches which should be finished by tomorrow night. Going to be an eventful day. Then the doubles on the day after. Then a couple of action-packed nights of Singles matches.” Ursa grinned, nodding gently in enthusiasm without wanting to dislodge Cypher’s head. “Then we get to watch Shina and Pyrrha beat each other up while snacking on overpriced junk food. Frankly this week has been a dream come true for me.”

Giggling wetly into Ursa’s shoulder, Cypher reached up and wiped away tears she didn’t even realise she’d been shedding. Nodding in agreement, she let out a sigh.

_“I’m sorry that I can’t tell you guys about what’s going on.”_

“You’re all good.” Ursa sighed, rubbing Cypher’s arm reassuringly. “I wish you would, but if you say you can’t, then I believe you.”

Nodding again, Cypher shuffled closer, and the pair fell into a gentle silence for a while until Cypher picked up the sound vibration of heavy footsteps making their way down the dormitory hallways, and then Lelise’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Help? I don’t have a free hand.”

Rolling her eyes, Cypher blinked over to the door and opened it, her eyes widening as Lelise stood there with two pizza boxes, a plastic bag of junk food, and what appeared to be a bag of takeaway boxes for noodles. Stepping to the side and letting out an amused but exasperated sigh, Cypher closed the door as the other girl stepped past and placed everything down on her bed, skipping to the kitchen with a hum to grab forks.

“Oh god, just because we don’t have classes doesn’t mean these count as days off, Lelise. We _should_ still be training and this is not helpful.” Ursa scowled as the other girl emerged from the kitchen carrying a few cans of soda, and Lelise simply raised an eyebrow down to where Ursa was already opening one of the pizza boxes.

Closing the door and locking it, Cypher went back over and sat on her bed with crossed legs, giving a fond but confused look to Lelise, who shrugged.

“What? Ursa had the whole huggy-squishy part handled, this is normally what happens after that stage anyway so I skipped to it.” Lelise smiled and winked as she passed out forks and drinks before snatching one of the packed noodles and opening it with a happy hum.

  
Taking a slice of pizza, Cypher took a bite of it quietly, before looking up at Lelise with a warm and grateful smile. Lelise simply just gave her a wink as she very barbarically slurped down noodles at a frankly concerning speed that always had Ursa watching with an expression of horror whenever she did it. Though frankly watching Lelise eat in general was often a spectacle, the others were convinced she’d broken speed records just in their time at Beacon, and having access to full tables of food for every meal in the mess hall was scary to unleash her onto.  
Looking up from her noodles at the sudden silence in the room, Lelise looked between them with noodles still sticking out of her mouth, looking between Cypher’s amused expression and Ursa’s exasperated one.

They barely managed to make out as she hummed. “ _What?”_

“You’re a savage.” Ursa sighed, going back to her pizza before raising an eyebrow as Lelise loudly swallowed and then reached over to snatch up a slice.

“And you’re a prude.”

“No, just polite.”

“We’re eating fairground-stand noodles and pizza at close to midnight, there is _nothing_ dignified about this.” Lelise smirked as she tossed the already empty box of noodles over to their trashcan, scowling when it bounced off without going in.

Giggling silently around her pizza, Cypher rolled her eyes, smacking Lelise’s hand away when she tried to steal a slice. When Lelise went for it again, Cypher merely blinked just out of reach back on the bed, and Lelise scowled.

“That’s cheating. Besides, I bought it.”

Nodding to concede the point, Cypher shuffled forward again and extended the pizza box in offering, only to once again blink out of reach the moment Lelise’s fingers touched a slice.

“Okay, fine then, we’ll play _that_ game.” Lelise narrowed her eyes, before tucking her feet underneath Cypher’s bed and very easily pulling it over towards her, able to snatch the pizza box as soon as Cypher entered her reach while the pink-haired girl was still swaying from the jarring movement, and then pushing the bed away again.

“ _Enough_ , both of you, geez.” Ursa tried to pretend she wasn’t smothering laughter as she roused at them, having been rocked back and forth by Lelise dragging and then shoving the bed she was sitting on.

“She started it.” Lelise pointed at Cypher, who shook her head violently and pointed back, giving Ursa puppy eyes.

“Oi, no begging eyes. We both know I can’t do those. I’m too grown up.” Lelise glared at her, staring Cypher in the eye as she ate another slice of the girl’s pizza right in front of her. In response, Cypher snatched up one of the boxes of noodles, only for Lelise to flick her fork out of her hands.

“ _OKAY!”_ Ursa put her now empty pizza box aside and raised her hands at them both, grinning but also giving them both frustrated looks. “At this rate, food is going to end up flying around and we _just_ had our cleaning day yesterday.”

“She’s miserable! Noodles to the face might smack the brooding right out of her.” Lelise smirked, kicking the bed to punctuate the word ‘smack’ and getting an offended look from Cypher in response.

_“Ursa! Tell her I don’t brood! I...ruminate!”_

Thinking over it for a moment, Ursa shrugged with a noncommittal sound as she looked at Cypher. “Well, I mean, you do brood a little bit. Sometimes.”

“Ha!” 

Lelise grinned in victory as she reached down to grab Cypher’s fork and hand it back to her, the pink-haired girl grumbling as she took it and wiped the dust from it on her pants, getting a judgemental look from Ursa, who immediately sighed and shook her head in surrender at her two teammates.

 _“At least I don’t...throw tantrums!”_ Cypher pointed at Lelise while meeting Ursa’s eyes.

“...okay no that’s true.” Ursa nodded in agreement, the two of them looking over at Lelise when the girl whined.

“Okay, that’s not fair. What are you saying about me?” Lelise looked between the two of them, her eyebrows scrunching stressfully further and further when neither of them answered. “Come on it’s never fair when you two do this.”

“If I tell you what she said, I want you to promise you won’t throw food.” Ursa raised an eyebrow, and even though Lelise nodded sincerely Ursa _did_ notice when Lelise glanced over at the cans of soda. “No! Nope, no skirting around the rules. No drink either.”

“...deal…” Lelise grumbled, grabbing the last box of noodles and straightening back up with a scowl.

“She said you throw tantrums.”

“I...that...hey!” Lelise looked at Cypher in mock-hurt. “They are completely authentic workouts.”

“You bring down trees!” Ursa stabbed her fork into her noodles and raised her eyebrows.

“Well I can start doing them at the gym if you’d prefer!” Lelise gave Ursa a sarcastic look.

Cypher grinned at them both as she put the empty pizza box aside, having the smallest appetite in the team, and grabbed one of the cans of soda, the other two amused as always when she opened it and it didn’t make a sound. Pausing for a moment as she looked down at it, she looked at the other two in gratitude, giving them soft smiles and getting a kiss on the side of her head from Ursa, meanwhile Lelise merely winked from across from her. Feeling better, she was content to watch and listen as the other two went back to their sniping, sipping from her drink and eventually grabbing a bag of chips from the bag of snacks.

It hadn’t taken them that long upon them being put into a team for them to end up like this. Not really. When you have someone with Lelise’s sort of energy nearby it just sort of happens, and a bond between Cypher and Ursa was inevitable when Ursa was the only person who Cypher could...well...talk to.  
When Ursa had one day realised she was the only person who would ever know what Cypher’s voice sounded like, in any variation, Cypher had caught the girl crying about it on Cypher’s behalf in the bathroom, and the pair had hugged for a long time. The pair, during the daylight hours, were often inseparable. Sitting together in class, training together, grabbing food together since they had the exact same tastes.

It was only once the sun started to go down when they would split up, with Ursa being the sort of person to turn-in early and fall asleep watching tv, meanwhile the city called to Cypher, it always did. She just hadn’t been out much lately, having too much studying to do.

Meanwhile Delilah wasn’t quite as strict and orderly as Ursa, she was three times as sarcastic, with a humor that complemented Lelise’s blunt and dry humor perfectly. The pair had always had an extremely amusing dynamic, one of Delilah constantly holding the back of Lelise’s collar to hold her back from every edge and fight imaginable.  
Cypher and Delilah had a quieter friendship. They studied together, were often the last two awake and had often sat up together listening to music and reading, making notes for class. When Cypher would come back from late nights out clubbing with Chrystal, Yang, and Shina, if Delilah was awake studying she’d often tap Cypher on the head and prevent her from having a hangover, Delilah rolling her eyes with a smile whenever she did it for her.

And frankly Cypher and Lelise were pretty much just...well, the current dinner was a perfect example of their entire bond. They adored each other and comforted this other and also specialised in annoying each other to the point of crying in laughter. They were both energetic, and mischievous, and often lacking in self control. If either of them ever got in trouble, the other one was always next to them.  
Frankly this was because when Cypher and _Chrystal_ caused trouble, they just didn’t get caught.

But, Lelise always got caught. She was not a subtle or discrete person.

And Cypher adored her with all of her heart for it.

It was strange, while technically she was the team leader, and had the final say on decisions, there was no real sense of organised hierarchy in the team. No underlying ranking system, or sense of a power dynamic or disparity.  
Finishing her bag of chips and blinking over to the bin before blinking back, getting a whinge from Lelise about how she didn’t take any of the other rubbish, Cypher looked around at all of them, including an eye over at Delilah’s currently empty desk and bed. In this moment, she didn’t feel much drive to worry about whether or not she had a sister out there.

She already had three of them right here.

+=+=+

Kylar’s sleep was interrupted by the sound of a whetstone being dragged down the edge of a blade in long strokes, and he groaned in annoyance as he opened an eye to glare at where Shina was sitting on his bed sharpening Hornet’s Edge with a focused look on his face. Chrystal was also already up, standing over their small table rigorously checking over her handguns, polishing and scrubbing each individual component.

“What time is it?” He sleepily slurred, closing his eyes and rolling over onto his stomach to bury his face into his pillow.

“Six.” Shina glanced up at him with a smile.

“In the _morning???”_ Kylar groaned loudly. “Why are you both even _up?”_

“Because it’s fight day!” Looking up from where she was working, Chrystal gave him a look as if the answer was obvious, before smirking at Shina after Kylar grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head.

“Kylar love.” Tacita spoke up from her own bed, where she was assembling arrows as delicately and perfectly as possible. “They’ve already been up an hour.”

“Why are _you_ up?”

“Because I-” Tacita was interrupted by another grind of Shina’s whetstone, and she sighed as her answer sounded out for her. “Because that.”

Giving up on the idea of anymore sleep, Kylar tossed his pillow away and sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking a few times to wake up. He was not a morning person, at all, and normally Chrystal wasn’t either but she always made an exception for any day where she was going to get to hit something.

Sighing in resigned frustration, he stood up and stretched his arms over his head, shaking his head. “You guys eaten?”

All of them shook their heads, and he nodded tiredly and plodded to the kitchen. “Everything served at the mess hall is too heavy, we’d feel like shit. So, I guess I’m on breakfast duty.”

“I love you.” Tacita called out with a grin, and she smirked when she only got a ‘Yeah yeah’ in response that he muttered with his own grin as he turned the stove on.

As Shina put his sword aside and grabbed his armour to start checking it over, a whistle from Chrystal on the other side of the room had him toss the whetstone to her for her own blades, and she nodded in thanks before getting to work, having to be far more delicate and steady with her own blades considering they were shorter and it was easier to slip. When Tacita whistled, Chrystal tossed her the rag and then the bottle of the mechanical oil she had used to treat the parts of her guns, as Tacita began the process of disassembling her bow to check on each component, and she smiled in thanks.

When Kylar emerged with breakfast, handing each of them a plate, he didn’t even need to say anything before Chrystal cleared away room on the table for him to put down his staff and his dust box and get to work himself. None of them really felt much need to speak a word, nothing of importance anyway, and were fine making asinine conversation as they worked. Once Kylar had finished disassembling Myriadisca entirely to do a final check on each part of the inner workings, he didn’t even need to whistle before he caught the rag and oil from Tacita, who gave him a warm smile as he tossed her the canister of her dust arrowheads from his dust case he had just opened.  
None of them had to put much thought into throwing things around the room. Each of them always did their work in the exact same places, so throwing things from person to person was pure muscle memory by now.

Respecting her request for privacy, Kylar didn’t say anything out loud to Chrystal about her night, but when he raised his eyebrows at her in a concerned look she immediately knew about what he was specifically asking about and she simply sighed and gave a small nod.

She’d been better, but she was up for it.

That was enough for him. Chrystal was made of far tougher metal than he was, and he felt no shame in knowing that inside.

With her blades sharpened and her guns checked over and oiled, Chrystal stood loading bullets into her different magazines, each one slotting in with a satisfying click. Once she finished loading her usual magazines she raised her eyebrows when Kylar reached into his dust box and handed her four empty magazines of the same modified type she used, and a few boxes of dust bullets, which she didn’t have any of and had rarely used. They were too expensive.

“I was saving these for your birthday, but I figured you’d enjoy them more for right now.” He gave her a smile, and her excited grin made him wink.

“...thank you.”

Taking them from him, she clicked her tongue in thought as she considered which dusts were most likely to come in handy during the tournament. In the teams round she was able to completely fight using her normal style, having a number of opponents to choose from at any given time so not having to constrain her mobility to a specific area.  
Which meant a lot of time in the air and throwing off rapid shots.  
Narrowing her eyes in thought, she took one of the magazines and loaded it with ice bullets, and another with lightning. 

Looking between the boxes he had given her, she widened her eyes when she came across one. Picking up the box of hardlight bullets, she glanced up at Kylar with a shocked speechless look.

“I…”

“Happy birthday.” He gave her an innocent smile and a shrug, clicking another section of his staff back into place. Snapping her out of her daze, she looked back down at the bullets and then back up at him.

“Kylar how much did these even _cost_??”

“I’ll just say please don’t use them up too quickly.” He reached over and gave her shoulder an affectionate rub, blinking when she wrapped her arms around him in a tight squeeze. “You’re welcome. Oof.”

“Kylar...thank you.” She smiled into his shoulder for a moment before kissing his cheek warmly and letting him go, stepping back to her work. Putting the box of hardlight bullets away for now, saving those for official missions, she instead loaded the last two magazines with air bullets, which had Kylar give her a curious look.

Placing her new magazines neatly next to the other ones she had laid out, she gave him a smile. “They may sound silly on paper, but I think they might just surprise you.”

“You’re the gun expert on the team.” He laughed and shrugged. “I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

Watching from the other side of the room, Tacita smiled as she kept sliding arrows into their appropriate slots on her quiver, having saved up enough dust arrowheads of each type that she could _fully_ load each type of dust arrow, which she almost never got to do. While she always made sure to be fully loaded on regular arrows, she hesitated to fully load on dust arrows, since she had to carve the arrowheads herself out of dust crystals, which was an insanely laborious task.  
Wasn’t like anywhere sold arrowheads over the counter at all anymore, she had to specially pay one of the weaponsmiths in town to make them for her.

But, for the tournament, she had saved up enough of each type that she could fully load, and when she slid the last one home and her quiver was fully loaded, and beeped to acknowledge that it was, she smiled in eager excitement.

Activating the lever on her bow to fold it up into its retracted form and clicking it into its slot on the side of the quiver, she put her weapons aside and started work on her outfit and armour, which they had all gradually reached the point of doing, sitting in relative silence as they each worked, only Shina and Kylar really talking as they passed each other the necessary tools needed to fix up the armoured pads that the girls didn’t have on theirs.

Despite how early they had gotten up to start their work, eventually all four of their alarms buzzed to let them know it was eight-thirty, meaning it was time to head to the arena for the first match at half past nine.

Looking around at each other, dressed in their combat uniforms and armour, they gave each other excited smiles. While they weren’t wearing their weapons yet, and weren’t allowed to until it was time for their match, they held them by their sides, freshly treated and readied.

“While I was down to fight yesterday, the fact that I _know_ it’s going to happen today somehow makes it more exciting.” Chrystal grinned as she led the way to the door, opening it and stepping out and aside for the others, before closing it and locking it quickly.

“Yeah I’m the same.” Shina nodded in anticipation as they made their way out of the dorms and towards the airjets as quickly as possible, noticing that they were getting looks as plenty of the students and people milling about who had been watching the tournament saw them and knew they’d be watching them fight today. He didn’t even need to look at the others to be certain that they’d all noticed as well, and were likely all enjoying it in their own ways.

The satisfied humming from Chrystal behind him confirmed it for him.

Hopping up onto the nearest airjet, they weren’t surprised that barely anyone was going up to the arena yet, only people eager to get the best seats and with nothing else to do were heading up so early, along with tournament officials and some of the other teams. Chrystal continued humming to herself excitedly as they rode up, and didn’t stop the entire trip into the preparation room where they stored their weapons inside their lockers.

Glancing at the clock, she scowled that it wasn’t even nine yet, and whined when Shina ruffled her hair.

“Patience. Did you expect the walk from our dorm to here to be an hour long trip?”

“Well what do we do now?” Chrystal despaired, sinking down onto one of the preparation room benches and putting her head into her hands. “We’ve got to wait so long.”

Almost in answer to her question, Kylar took off his jacket and bundled it up on the end of a bench as a pillow before laying down and closing his eyes, with Tacita doing the same thing on another closeby bench.

Looking between her two teammates, Chrystal groaned in frustration before making her way out of the preparation room, Shina jogging a few steps to catch up and keep pace with her.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know!” Chrystal threw her hands up and looked up at the roof. “I just know I need to move or I’ll go insane.”

Shrugging, Shina simply decided to follow along quietly as she burned off her excess energy, with the pair eventually ending up back at the airjet bay. But instead of going back down to the fairgrounds, Chrystal instead once again walked over to the edge to take a look down to the ground far below.

Sighing, she sat down and looked out over the view, her legs dangling over the edge and her hands resting on her lap between her legs, running her thumb over the palm of her right hand like she always did.

Content to lean against the nearby barrier and look out over the view as well, Shina ran his tongue along the back of his teeth and frowned as he thought over it all. If they won their team round this morning, they then had their doubles match the day after. And then the fights of the singles rounds spread over the nights after that, culminating in the semi-finals and then grand final with a night dedicated just to them. There were only a handful of days left of the entire tournament, and that thought was daunting to consider.  
If the others stuck true to their guns that it should be him going forward, it meant that overall he had quite a few fights ahead of him over the next few days, working on the assumption that he got to the grand final.

Which was an assumption he liked the thought of.

But it was still quite a few fights ahead, and fights against Huntsmen weren’t like fights with Grimm. They tended to be more mentally taxing, since you were dealing with an opponent that could actually think and strategise.

And the competition for this tournament weren’t pushovers, any of them.

Well, except for Team CRDL of course.

He grinned to himself for a moment before frowning again.

The further down the bracket he got, the tougher the fights, the more likely it was he’d have to use his Semblance past the second stage. Keeping an ace up your sleeve was fine, but there was always still a chance you’d have to use it early, and if he was forced into the Third Cut too early he’d have nothing left to catch opponents by surprise except for the Fourth.

Which he _couldn’t_ use before the grand final, otherwise he’d be too physically injured for any following matches.

But, the months of training they’d each put themselves through specifically for the tournament had been focused on making sure he didn’t develop a dependency on his Semblance. He could fight well without it.

It was a trump card that had the drawback that it beat him up to use it. With two fights today, he had to time it carefully.

_‘Ugh, this sort of thinking isn’t my specialty. This is Kylar’s.’_

Tapping his knuckles on the barrier in frustration, he looked over to the other side of the platform to where busier airjets had started to arrive as time ticked on, and he checked his watch to see that it was five past nine. Nudging Chrystal with his foot, he gestured that it was time to head back in, and she quickly jumped to her feet and followed.  
Arriving back in the preparation room, it was far busier than it was before, and somehow Logan and Tesse had managed to get past them without either pair noticing the other, with Shina and Chrystal being tucked away, and Shina lost in his own thoughts.

Seeing them walking over, Logan stepped aside to make room for them as the two of them stood talking to Kylar and Tacita, only for Logan to raise an eyebrow as they approached a moment before Shina was tackled from behind, and a voice whispered in his ear.

“You ready for today?”

Grinning, he twisted around in the grip of the other person and put his hands on the waist of his girlfriend, kissing her softly for a moment. “We’ve been ready for days.”

“I’m looking forward to watching.” Velvet smiled, snuggling into his arms as he wrapped them around her. “You’re going to nail it.”

“I just hope I don’t end up in the doubles against Coco and Yatsuhashi. I’d hate to put you into that position.” He smirked, before raising his eyebrows and she shrugged.

“What position? I want them to cream you.” Grinning, she kissed his cheek. “No offense, of course.”

“Of course.” He nodded before smiling and kissing her again for a moment.

“Your team is beckoning you.” Velvet looked around him and put her hands on his chest to gently and affectionately push him. “Good luck in your match, I’ll see you after?”

“You know where to find me.”

Turning and finishing making his way over to the rest of SKTC, where Chrystal had just given Petyr a lingering kiss before he made his own way out, leaving just SKTC and Kylar’s parents. Joining the group, Shina looked around at each of them and squared his shoulders, before smiling at Logan and Tesse next to him.

“We’re ready.”

“You are.” Tesse nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Just...try not to win it _too_ quickly. The cameras need something to broadcast.”

“Ugh, we’ll try our best.” Chrystal sighed and rolled her eyes as if it would be hard work, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well…” Logan smiled at them all confidently, meeting each of their eyes. “I gave the inspiring speech yesterday, and I still mean every word. But I think it’s your team leader’s turn. Good luck out there, when you get picked. We’re going to go and find seats.”

“Thanks sir.” Shina said nervously, letting out a slow breath as Logan and Tesse gave everyone one last smile and walked away.

The four of them closed ranks, standing looking around at each other, Tacita aware of the sound of the clock ticking and the growing crowd in the audience.

“There’s no guarantee we’re going first. So we shouldn’t get too anxious too early.”

“See, _logically_ I know that.” Chrystal nodded, before raising a hand to show that it was trembling in excitement. “But it appears I don’t care.”

Raising his own shaking hand, Kylar sighed in relief. “Oh good, not just me. Why aren’t _yours_ shaking, love?”

“Archery training. Shaking hands means a bad shot.” Tacita shrugged with a smile, before looking down and noticing that Shina’s hands weren’t shaking either, and he wasn’t even really twitching or bouncing or anything. “What about you?”

“Oh I’m _way_ past and beyond the shaking phase.” Shina snorted, waving a hand dismissively and crossing his arms.

The preparation room had less people in it than it did the previous day, with only half the teams needing to be possibly prepared for the day. It made things quieter, but it also made it easier for the different teams to glance around at each other, and easier to notice when you were _being_ glanced at. All in all, the air in the rather large room was far more anxious than it was the previous day, with less noise and chatter to keep people’s minds washed and distracted.  
Sitting down on two benches across from each other, the four didn’t feel much need to talk, with Kylar even pulling a book out of his bag to read while Tacita seemed content to go back to dozing.

Meanwhile Chrystal was happy to nap on Shina’s shoulder, leaving the team leader with nothing to do except stare around at the rest of the teams getting ready for their potential fights that day, and there were some interesting prospects. Very few Vale teams were left to compete, maybe only three including SKTC.  
Surprising Shina greatly was that one of them was Team RNBW, and he gave a wave over to a nervous looking Reika, who smiled widely and waved back before immediately going back to talking intensely with her team as the four girls prepared around a table.

Other than that was Team ORNJ, who Shina didn’t know a single member of, the team all being fourth years. He knew they were one of the teams with thousands of hours of field experience, so a team that operated much like SKTC did, but apart from seeing their team name on the field roster before he didn’t know any of them.

And then, finally, it was nine-thirty, and when the loudspeaker crackled on to alert the teams that it was almost time to roll for the first match the sound of the speaker was enough to snap the other three members of SKTC out of their individual zoning-out and get them back into focus. Ten minutes later, after Port and Oobleck opened the ceremony for the crowd and all the final checks on the arena biomes were completed, the randomizer appeared on the monitor.

There was complete silence in the preparation room. Apart from the monitor, you could have heard a penny drop, as every single person paid complete and total attention.

“Our first match for the second day of the Team Rounds is….Team GLMR of Haven, against Team PLSH of Atlas!”

There was a mixture of reactions throughout the room, as Atlas and Haven students wished their respective teams luck. Some teams like RNBW looked relieved, some teams like SKTC looked disappointed as Chrystal moaned in frustration and slid down onto the floor, curling up into an anxious ball before hopping up onto her feet in time to clap as the two teams made their way down the hall towards the arena.

As soon as both teams were out of sight, she was immediately back down on the ground again, laying on her back and staring up at the roof, one arm behind her head and the other over her stomach.

“How many teams left can there even be??”

“Uhhh…other than us?” Kylar sat back and quickly did math in his head. “Nine.”

“...you’re shitting me.”

“Nope. Only five matches left.”

“Not that long of a wait then.” Chrystal sighed, before closing her eyes. “Wake me up when it’s either our turn, or someone we care about.”

Tossing his jacket down for her to use as a pillow, Kylar quietly went back to his book with Tacita quickly falling back asleep on his lap, while Shina watched the match on the monitor curiously, as he needed to know what he might be up against in the future rounds. It was a long and drawn-out match, both teams being primarily made up of defensive-style fighters, but eventually the win went to Team PLSH, having ended in a rather brutal three-on-one final clash.

As both teams reentered the room there was loud applause from the teams inside, both in victory for PLSH but also to acknowledge just how well and how hard that GLMR had ground things out.

Shina was impressed by both teams, but with all four members of PLSH being defensive fighters he wasn’t particularly concerned, so he felt comfortable disregarding them as a team to keep an eye on.

“And now, for our next match...Team ORNJ of Beacon, against Team MRIR of Atlas!”

Without even looking up from his book, Kylar sighed in frustration, meanwhile again Shina made sure to watch the match carefully on the monitor, frowning intensely as he made sure to scrutinise each individual member of each time. ORNJ fought cautiously, and clearly fought battles of attrition, waiting for their opponents to run out of energy and ammo before closing in, and it worked excellently against the hyper-aggressive team MRIR, who quickly burned out and were dealt with.

Before the match even finished, Shina had known the way it was going to go. And the members of Team ORNJ were definitely fighters to be concerned about, considering a battle of attrition was a great way to bring him down once he activated his Semblance.

Something had Chrystal open up her eyes and sit up, suddenly alert, just before the randomiser went again. She nudged Tacita to wake the girl up before the process had even finished.

“Our third match of the day...Team SKTC of Beacon, against Team LAVA of Haven!”

Having already been standing to her feet, Chrystal easily and quickly pulled her harness on with a happy hum and flaming eyes, sliding everything home, while Tacita slid her quiver on and extended her bow, syncing the two up. Both Shina and Kylar had easier times of it, simply just grabbing their weapons and putting them over their shoulders.  
Looking over at rather loud and enthusiastic support from Team RNBW, the four girls standing up and Nina even whistling, Shina and Chrystal made sure to give them a wave as they made their way down the hall.

“Oh no, it’s you guys.”

A voice from next to them had Chrystal jump back into focus, and she looked over to where Alice was giving all four of them a smile, with Alice’s three teammates looking over at SKTC as well as both teams made their way down the corridors.

“Really should have asked what team you were on.” Chrystal grinned over at her, eyes flicking to where the girl’s shotguns swung loosely in her hands.

“Don’t pull your punches just because we know each other.”

“You kidding?” Chrystal smirked and raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to _aim_ for you.”

Laughing, Alice winked playfully and then jogged to catch up to her teammates.

Entering the arena just behind them, the noise of the crowd washed over them, and while it made a pained shiver go through Tacita it instead made Shina shiver and a smirk break out on his face, looking over at Chrystal and the two of them grinning at each other.

Meanwhile Kylar confidently looked around at the crowd all across the stadium.

Hopping up onto the central arena, SKTC made their way to their places, only for Chrystal to briefly falter as she looked across at where Team LAVA were already spread out and standing in place, all four of them ready.

“Oh. Oh no.” She breathed, her eyes widening and her throat drying as she took her place, her eyes moving from one member of LAVA to the next and then back again.

As the two teams took a moment to look at each other in the minute dedicated to the cameras doing a full circular shot of the arena, Tacita noticed Chrystal’s condition and sighed in annoyance, nudging the girl to snap her out of it.

“Chrystal, now is not the time.”

“I...I know but…” Chrystal kept looking between the four women of team LAVA. “How am I meant to beat up four women who I want to top me?”

“ _Chrystal._ ”

“Alright, alright.”

Any further scolding was cut off as Professor Port spoke up over the announcements.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Shina Kamisari, Kylar Goroesi, Tacita Everweb, and Chrystal Wasara of Team SKTC of Beacon!”

The entire stadium erupted into loud cheers, with those from Vale being by far the loudest, as all four of them took the time to look around and grin, the cameras moving over each of them individually and their individual information coming up.

When it was revealed at the start that Shina was ranked second in Beacon, not only did the Vale supporters cheer even louder, but he noticed that three of the four members of LAVA looked at the third girl, who represented the V in their team name.

Then, Kylar’s name and face came up, and while his combat ranking wasn’t particularly high, many recognised him from the footage of the fight at the breach and what he did, and there was just as much noise for him as there was for Shina.

While Tacita didn’t draw as much noise as Shina and Kylar at first, the cheering from Vale didn’t lessen in the slightest. It was only when her information came up and the camera moved out to take in her unique bow, and her information showed she was _also_ one of Beacon’s accomplished marksmen, that the noise picked up once again at the rare spectacle the crowd knew they were in for.

And then it reached Chrystal. When her face and name came up, there was practically a roar from certain sections of the Vale audience even before her combat ranking came up, plenty of locals recognising her from in the city itself. And then, her ranking came up and it was revealed she was fifth, meaning SKTC had two of the top five fighters on their team, much like JNPR did.

So when the camera panned back to show the entire team and their overall ranking, Chrystal made sure to wink again

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Lucille Maridove, Alice Heredateru, Lillian Vale, and Angel Wince of Team LAVA from Haven!”

The crowd from Mistral went absolutely insane, which made something in Chrystal clench in concern, and she kept her eyes on one of the monitors as each member’s individual information came up.

Lucille was almost as tall as Ursa of Team CULD, but far more limber. Long sandy-brown hair tied back in a tight war braid, tanned skin much like Alice’s, rich brown eyes, and her resting expression was a small confident smile. Most of her armour was rather loose black leather, but the top half of her body had several metal plates as extra protection, and her weapon appeared to be some strange variation of trident where the three prongs were placed in a triangle and the points faced in towards a central point, almost like a metal fishing spear.

According to her information, she was sixth in Haven in terms of combat, which had Shina and Chrystal smile.

Alice didn’t look much different than she did the other night. She was clearly a snake faunus, with slitted eyes that still managed to look friendly, the same tanned skin of miniscule scales, short dark hair, a playful smile, and her shotguns resting on her shoulders. She was dressed in armour that looked to be simply be layers of dark brown or black cloths, enough of them to be a padded protection but also still loose for maneuverability, and her tail was kept curled up and out of the way so as to not be an easy target. She was shorter than Chrystal had expected, an inch or so shorter than Chrystal herself. Combat rankings, she was in the mid-twenties.

It was Lillian Vale that was the concern. Shoulder-length wavy golden blonde hair, rich sea-blue eyes, she was pure lean muscle much like Chrystal and Cypher. Similar leathers to Lucille, hers were instead silver, and instead of multiple plates on her torso it was a silver cuirass with the emblem of a diamond in the mouth of a dragon. Her weapons were a pair of long silver single-edged swords, one in each hand and each a third of her total height.

When her information came up on the screen, they understood why the others had looked at her.

She was Haven’s number one fighter. 

And if Lucille, also in the top ten, had deferred to her combat prestige like the other two had, it appeared that the power gap even between the two of _them_ was _large_.

The smile on Shina’s and Chrystal’s faces grew. But Chrystal also felt her breath catch in a good way.

Meanwhile Angel looked young. She had to be the same age as the other three, but she didn’t look it, looking even younger than RNBW did. But dressed in padded white leathers and with a long curved blade attached to the side of her forearm that went up to her shoulder and down to her ankle, which clearly had a rotating barrel built into the vambrace used to strap onto her arm, she didn’t seem any less threatening than the other three.

The two teams didn’t take their eyes off of each other as the arena biome randomisers began to rotate, eventually slowing down and selecting their biomes;

One half forest, the other half fire.

“Huntsmen, take your stances!”

Shina didn’t really move apart from sliding into a side-face and bringing his left hand up onto the hilt of his sword as well, still keeping it resting on his right shoulder.

Kylar brought Myriadisca around his back in the traditional stance of a quarterstaff, two fingers of his left hand hovering just above the first of his dust chambers.

Tacita simply patiently brought her hand up to near her quiver, but didn’t draw, instead keeping her bow in front of her and half-raised as she shifted her foot back.

Chrystal had both her blades out of their sheaths before Port had even finished saying it, and she took a low stance, making sure to distribute her weight on both of her feet evenly, flipping the blade in her left hand around to have a reverse grip on it.

“Huntsmen! 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3...2...1!”

The moment things began, Kylar drew in a mixture of lightning and gravity dust and infused it into Chrystal, who had already shot forward. The mixture of the two made her even faster and also more aerodynamic, so when she spun on her foot and brought a blade down into Angel’s she wasn’t even stopped by the block, instead using the incredible thin and tenuous surface of the edge of Angel’s blade to push herself off of and over Angel’s head, her second blade scraping along the entirety of Angel’s back.

Dropping into a roll on the other side she flipped back and skidded to a stop, getting such a solid in from the first move making her grin.

Meanwhile Shina had skipped to the right to be in between where Kylar and Tacita were before pushing off his foot to move forward, bringing his blade in a grinding slash that, when blocked by Lillian, had the girl skid back from the impact. The slash followed through and an also approaching Lucille brought her trident up to catch it, catching the blade between the prongs of her weapon and twisting it to try and wrench it from his grip.

Instead Shina merely...dropped, and the moment he was down a lightning arrow shot through where the mass of his torso had just been and impacted right into Lucille, zapping her backwards.

But Shina had to bring his blade up incredibly rapidly to block Lillian, who had recovered and spun back in, pushing him back.

A shotgun shot near Chrystal had her twist out of the way to avoid the spray, not even getting grazed enough to affect her aura, but when she looked into the treeline of the forest biome where the shot had come from she didn’t see a thing.

Frowning as she scrutinised, she shrugged and shot over to where Lucille was recovering, the other girl saw her coming and spun her trident around, and when Chrystal thought she was going for a thrust she instead pulled a trigger, and a barrel hidden at the top of her trident between the prongs fired a laser off, forcing Chrystal to drop to her knees in a slide at the last moment, rolling out of the way when Lucille swung down at her in an attempt to catch her in the gut.

Meanwhile Shina pushed Lillian enough paces back that when Tacita fired a frost arrow at the feet of Angel, who had been advancing at Kylar, he felt he had a free moment to slide over and catch the now stuck girl in the stomach with a savage slice across her torso. She blocked it well, and held, the sword clash holding her focus long enough that a blast of fire from Kylar had her tumble away, before Tacita whistled to him.

Spinning on his heel he barely managed to get in front of Lillian before she reached them, but the girl seemingly effortlessly, brushed away his parry and dragged a blade across his right thigh with enough force his aura crackled, and she didn’t even over-extend, remaining perfectly on-balance despite the angle needed for it.

All of a sudden Kylar snarled in pain as two shotgun blasts right into his back drove him to his knees and his aura spark, the double close-range blasts halving it in one go. Spinning around to face where he’d been attacked from, he saw nothing, and called out to Tacita.

“We’ve got a hider!”

“On it!”

Taking a few deep breaths to focus, Tacita expanded her Semblance, widening her range and her sensitivity as much as possible and taking in the entire battlefield. Without even needing to turn her head, she drew an arrow and aimed.

“There you are.”

Releasing, it struck home, and the aura of the hidden Alice rippled and outlined her shape, causing Tacita to grin and, for the foreseeable future, go on the hunt.

“Illusion?” Kylar stretched his arms to catch his breath, noticing as Chrystal had re-engaged Angel in the fire biome.

“Not traditionally.” Tacita smiled, still following Alice’s movements. “She’s camouflaged. Perfectly mimicking her surroundings. But any of you three will be able to see her outline if she moves too quickly.”

A yelp caught their attention as Shina had managed to bring his blade down onto Lucille’s shoulder after managing to push Lillian back again. It was a two on one, and Shina looked strained.

“Go. I’ve got our little chameleon.” Tacita nodded to Kylar, who immediately turned his attention to Shina’s fight.

Rotating two of the chambers of his staff, Kylar quickly drew in gravity and earth dust, and took the opening Shina had bought him on Lucille to smash her in the gut with a propelled boulder, sending the girl sprawling. Another lightning boost to Shina to speed him up had him equal with Lillian again, neither of them giving ground any further.

With Lucille on the ground, he continued rapidly spinning the chambers on his staff so his dust options were constant, and charmed a gravity well underneath her to keep her weighed down onto the ground, which clearly worked, but when he fired a flaming boulder straight at her a strange light went through her skin as a thin dome of pura aura spread out from her to surround her, and when the flaming rock smashed into it there was an impactful ringing sound as it shattered against.

She rose to her feet, but the dome stayed around her as she quickly advanced on him.

“Okay then…” Kylar raised an eyebrow, a theory in mind as he quickly backed off, and a quick spray of ice at her confirmed it when the shards hit the dome and bounced off, but her aura levels still went down. She was projecting her aura outwards. 

That was going to be a problem. 

“Chrystal! Switch!” He called out without taking his eyes off of Lucille, who dispelled the aura field long enough to bring her trident down on him, and he was forced to block it with his staff, skillfully swinging her trident in her arms, she knocked his staff upwards with the other end of the shaft of her weapon and then savagely jabbed her trident forward in a thrust to his gut that would have stuck him if it wasn’t kicked off-target by a jumping Chrystal, who brought her elbow up into Lucille’s face, buying time for Kylar to disengage Lucille and dissuade Angel, who had been chasing her fleeing opponent.

Meanwhile the game of cat and mouse between Tacita and Alice was not going in Alice’s favour. While Tacita wasn’t landing many direct hits in, she had Alice constantly on the run, and her dust arrows were littering the arena with slippery ice, gravity wells, flames, rock spikes, and all manner of obstacles for the other girl to have to navigate.

Shina was having as much trouble as Alice was, with Lillian’s sheer speed and accuracy enough to have him on the defensive most of the fight. It had him smile when he admitted it to himself;

She was better than him. Much _much_ better.

So when he managed to lure her into another sword clash, using his superior height and physical strength to push her and force her into it, he made it so she could watch as he opened the First Cut, his skin paling and the pulsing going through his eyes. Breaking free of the blade clash, Lillian backed off a few hops to reassess, but he had no interest in giving her time, closing the gap immediately with his now boosted speed.

But even though his assault was now faster, he barely penetrated her defense, only getting the occasional hit in and even then it was never more than a thin slice, meanwhile her counters were incredible, he was barely able to dodge, and even with his new speed she was still landing hits.

His enhanced speed was now only just matching hers, even without using a Semblance she was as fast a swordsman as Chrystal. While she clearly didn’t have the superhuman agility or mobility, her blades were still a blur, always exactly where they needed to be.

As Tacita had Alice ducking and diving around the arena, it didn’t last much longer until she heard the girl give a curious noise as she came up with something.

“Lucy! Cage!”

“Busy!” Lucille grunted out as Chrystal dodged out of another series of attacks, none of them even scratching the girl.

_“Dammit Lucy!”_

“Ugh, fine.” Lucille growled, and as she continued swinging and thrusting fruitlessly at Chrystal, she focused.

When Tacita watched as Alice stopped moving, she frowned in curiosity and released a normal arrow at the girl, raising her eyebrows when it bounced off a dome around the girl as Alice immediately started heading straight for her, even rubble and spikes of ice moving out of the way as Lucille’s shield shoved it aside as Alice moved.

Drawing an ice arrow, Tacita patiently nocked it and put her fingers on the bowstring, waiting for her moment.

“Chrystal! Push!”

Without voicing a response, Chrystal immediately went on the offensive, and while she still wasn’t good at offense it was enough to force Lucille to decide between splitting her attention, or focusing on defending herself. And human instinct won out, forcing her to drop the shield and focus on her protecting herself.  
The moment the dome dropped, Tacita drew and released in one simple movement, hitting into Alice and wrapping ice around her legs, rooting her to the ground. A gravity arrow into her chest dragged her further to the ground under her own increased weight, and if the girl didn’t then keep Tacita on the defense with shotgun fire she would have been done for.

“Lily!”

“Coming!” Lillian immediately disengaged from Shina, and while she knew the currently sped up boy wouldn’t let up she was still able to rotate enough she could keep backing up, but in Alice’s direction.

As she got close enough, once Alice was almost in reach, she activated her Semblance.

Bringing his blade down onto Lillian’s, Shina watched as every inch of the girl seemed to shimmer, and then began glistening as if imbued with an infinite amount of diamonds, shining and glistening under light. He watched as the blade she was using to hold off his began to shimmer as well, as it was suddenly made out of the exact same crystal.  
And where their two blades were connected, hers began to chip into his, suddenly impossibly sharper and harder.

Widening his eyes, he immediately broke off the clash, ducking his head out of the way of her swing as she also spun on the spot, her now diamond foot easily shattering the ice covering Alice and sending the girl sprawling out of the gravity well. Alice bounced to her feet and immediately clicked her shotguns into their axe form, and managed to close the distance on Tacita who was forced to shift her bow into its blade form.

Across in the fire biome, Kylar and Angel were not having much fun constantly bouncing off of one another, and they were a couple of minutes into it when Kylar noticed a pressing problem. Angel’s aura was barely touched, no matter how much he hit her with. It was going down hauntingly slowly, and he was actively able to see it recharging.  
And he was fighting her with a Semblance that actively required him spending his own. The girl seemed completely aware of her advantage, and was pressing him constantly, luring him into melee enough times that even though he got solid hits in, he paid for it, and he paid a much higher price as his aura began to drop.

“Shina, switch!”

Skipping back a handful of steps to make distance between himself and Angel, he wasn’t surprised when a speed-enhanced First-Cut Shina was suddenly in between them, blade slamming into Angel’s and sending the girl grinding back along the hot coals.

Turning to Chrystal and Lucille, he watched with a certain degree of amusement at how neither of them seemed to be able to get a hit on the other. Chrystal’s defenses and reflexes were simply too inhuman for Lucille, but Chrystal wasn’t good enough on offense to hit her back, Lucille was simply too good as well, despite her larger mass. But she’d hold her attention, potentially...forever, and that’s what was important.

Continuing on his spin, he found it too easy to draw in gravity dust and weigh down Lillian, the girl dropping to her knees. In fact, he noticed that she dropped far easier than most people do, and as he took in the shimmering crystal her skin was now made out of he nodded in understanding.

Well, he couldn’t get close to her, but he didn’t have to. He would be able to keep her grounded for a while.

With Lillian dealt with for the next sixty seconds, he looked over to where Tacita was engaged in melee combat with Alice, and was already down to the same aura level as Alice had been from Tacita’s arrow assault.

He sighed before drawing in two fire crystals, and then he risked drawing in half a hardlight and forming them up in his hand as he ran over, knowing Tacita could see him. Hopping up a handful of paces behind Tacita, he brought his hand up, and Tacita immediately dropped, taking an axe in the chest, but exposing Alice enough for the spear of pure concentrated fire, bound into shape by hardlight, to smash straight into the girl’s torso and send her flying back.

_“And with a powerful and direct strike from his Semblance, Kylar has brought Alice’s aura down to 14%! Dropped below the 15% threshold, Alice is eliminated!”_

After Kylar reached down to pull Tacita up, he immediately plopped another gravity well underneath Lillian to keep her down, before shaking his head.

“I don’t have much left in me. I dropped so much of it into Angel and the girl’s aura barely shifted.”

“Yeah...look at it now.” Tacita clicked her swords back into their bow form, and they both looked up at the monitors.

Angel’s aura was still almost full, and Shina had been utterly laying into her.

“Alright, so...Lillian is too fast for either of us. She’d close any distance we create. And I’ve only got enough for one gravity well left in me. I’ve got enough aura for one last decent cast, and then I’m out. That Angel girl just...soaked it up.”

Tacita nodded, looking around the field and her eyes landing on Chrystal and Lucille. “We need our unhittable girl.”

“Alright then. Well, it may not have broken the aura of the person the night of the dance, but it should work a treat this time. I sure hope so, because this is the last of my tank.” Kylar took a few rapid deep breaths before drawing in the gravity and lightning dust needed for the accelerator, formed it in his aura, and placed it in front of Tacita.

Picking her moment, she drew her lightning arrow and pulled the string back taut, knowing Chrystal had the reflexes for exactly the right moment. The gravity well underneath Lillian vanished, and the girl was already moving.

“Kylar, buy me five seconds.”

“You’re lucky I love you.” Kylar grinned, looking up at where his aura had 17% left, and ran over to Lillian to buy Tacita her seconds. Even as she heard and saw the parries of Kylar holding off Lillian with his staff, she didn’t take her true vision from where she was aiming.

Two things happened in unison:

_“With a perfect agile strike against a valiant sacrifice, Lillian Vale has brought Kylar Goroesi’s aura beneath threshold! Kylar is eliminated!”_

“Chrystal! DROP!” Tacita released her arrow as the perfect moment opened up, the arrow hitting the accelerator and moving through the air fast enough the air visibly rippled, Chrystal still shifting to the side barely in time for it to smash straight into Lucille’s chest and send the girl flying backwards.

_“One last act of pure team synchronicity between the members of Team SKTC has Lucille Mariadove’s aura below threshold! Lucille is eliminated!”_

Tacita could easily see Lillian moving towards her faster than she’d be able to create distance, but Lillian was then sent tumbling away, Chrystal having put one of her swords away and fired an air bullet into the girl before the arrow had even hit Lucille.

As Lillian hit the ground, Tacita was already moving over to Shina and Angel, calling out to Chrystal as she went. “If she hits you, she’ll cut straight through you.”

“Well, no wonder you saved _me_ then.” Chrystal grinned, closing the distance with Lillian, holstering her pistol, drawing her blade again just in time to neatly dodge out of a series of impossibly rapid slashes from the girl.

Reaching to where Shina was laying into a seemingly unharmed Angel, Tacita glanced up at the monitor and narrowed her eyes, before rapidly grabbing a gravity arrow from her quiver and firing it over his shoulder, hitting the girl and sending her sprawling away from the dust impact. Looking back at her, he jogged over to her.

“What happened to Kylar?”

“Lillian Vale happened. Go help Chrystal.”

“You sure?”

“This girl’s Semblance has to be recharging her aura at an obscene rate, or something along those lines. You could clearly whale away at her all day and get nowhere. Leave it to me.”

“If I clash with Lillian she’ll just cut my sword in half.”

“Well then.” Tacita fired another arrow at Angel, this time at her feet so the pulse knocked her off balance a few moments. “Don’t clash.”

“ _Oh thanks_.” Shina glanced up to his aura level, which was three-quarters full. He sighed. “Have fun.”

Dancing backwards further and further, Chrystal was no longer having quite as much fun as she had been against Lucille. It wasn’t just that Lillian was incredibly skilled, or her Semblance had her basically made out of diamond and gave her blades a diamond-sharp edge, it was that she was _fast_. So, unable to parry, Chrystal was dodging and twisting and remaining unhit purely out of agility and reflexes, and annoying Lillian just as much as Lillian was annoying her.

As Lillian went for yet another slice across Chrystal’s torso, combined with a sweep of her leg, she didn’t seem particularly surprised when Chrystal wasn’t there anymore upon her trying, bending back at an unnatural angle and somersaulting backwards, springing to her feet and making Lillian chase her even further.

“You just going to keep running away, cutie?” Lillian grinned at her as she tried again, with absolutely nothing mocking or malicious in either her voice or in her smile. Chrystal could tell that here, in the arena, Lillian was in her element, and having the time of her life.

“I’m not running away. And you really think I’m cute?” 

Chrystal winked as she retreated another few bouncing steps, getting closer and closer towards the forest biome, the shade from the trees visible out of the corner of her eye. She had a hunch, a plan, and she hoped she’d be able to pull it off. But, in all honesty, it was probably going to result in a broken weapon or two.

“Eh, you go alright.”

Smirking, Lillian pressed in again, with another horizontal slice, blinking in surprise as Chrystal raised her sword up in position to parry it just to let her sword go, leaping up backwards and her feet landing on the trunk of the tree now right behind her, bouncing a few steps up it just as Lillian’s sword made contact with Chrystal’s dropped one. Spinning her pistol from her holster, Chrystal kicked off the trunk to fly over Lillian’s head and released an air bullet down onto her, cracking into her skull and forcefully driving Lillian down onto the ground, her indigo aura sparking at the solid hit.

As Lillian kicked to her feet, Chrystal had already slid her gun back into its holster and kicked her discarded sword up into her once again free hand, twirling her blades.

“Damn...alright, that was good. That _hurt_.” Lillian nodded as she immediately kicked off to close the distance and create an offensive again.

Swinging one blade across at Chrystal, she brought her other sword up behind her to parry Shina’s, the man having just reached her. Looking back and forth between the two of them, she nodded in acceptance of her situation.

“Alright then.”

Tacita rotated the dial of her quiver to check how many arrows she had left. It wasn’t great, but it was enough. Her arrows would just bounce off Lillian’s Semblance, and nothing Shina or Chrystal could do would make a dent in Angel’s aura.

But, despite her aura reserves, Angel wasn’t reckless or stupid. Their team must have each figured out that Tactia’s Semblance was based around heightening her senses, so even though Angel was using the terrain she wasn’t doing it to stay out of sight, but rather to stay behind cover so she couldn’t get hit. Sighing in frustration, Tacita ran backwards onto the clear terrain of the center of the arena, forcing Angel to either let Tacita take shots at Lillian, or come out of hiding and into the open.

Knowing which one Angel would do, Tacita took the opportunity to click a specific switch on her bow, her quiver beeping in response, as she began drawing specific arrows and firing them into the floor, yet the dust in them didn’t detonate. When she felt enough of them were placed, she rotated to a different arrow type, and waited, her bow hanging at her side.

With Tacita’s bow by her side, and no arrow nocked in it, Angel felt confident, and while she didn’t emerge from cover straight away she happily started taking potshots at Tacita, who started off dodging them but then let three of them hit her, squeezing her eyes shut as if her Semblance was failing. Hearing the sound of running footsteps, she opened her eyes and pressed a button on her bow, looking at the approaching Angel just in time for the gravity arrows she had fired across the entire center of the arena to detonate and fire them both into the air at tremendous force, Tacita drawing her bow and firing the new type of arrow, her grappling arrow, into the ground as quickly as she could to tether her in place so she didn’t fly too high. 

Drawing three gravity arrows into her fingers, she waited, watching above as Angel hit the hardlight roof of the arena and then began to drop when the gravity wells deactivated, both of them now falling.

When Tacita almost hit the arena floor, she fired the first arrow straight down to fire herself into the air again and immediately drew the second arrow, firing it into Angel just as the girl passed her in her own fall.

The propelling force smashed into the other girl _hard_ , and sent her spinning and careening through the air towards the edge of the arena. Just before Tacita crashed down into the arena floor she fired the last one, and prayed. Even as she crashed down into the arena floor and groaned, her aura crackling violently, dropping down low enough she knew she was eliminated, she heard her second arrow hit Angel middair and send the other girl out of bounds, eliminating her via ring-out.

Grinning to herself, her head ringing from the fall too much to hear the announcement, she made her way off the arena and slumped down next to where Kylar was sitting on the sidelines.

As the buzzer went off twice, none of the three remaining fighters glanced over at the monitor, none of them had the time as Lillian held off both of them, and neither Shina or Chrystal could block or clash too hard without risk of just ruining their blades.

It was exhausting for Lillian, especially considering her Semblance was _heavy_ , but the skill of each of her opponents _individually_ warranted it, let alone both of them at the same time.

“Hey Shina?” Chrystal quipped out as she danced out of Lillian’s attack yet again before reattempting her own. “You know how you’re doing the whole ‘I’m not using my Semblance unless it’s a last resort’ thing? _Does this feel like a last resort to you yet?_ ”

“Oh, so you guys all talk to each other during fights too then.” Lillian grinned as she managed to land a solid enough hit on Shina his aura sparked, just for him to drag his sword along her shoulder and her own aura to crackle. She winced in pain. “We worried it was just us who did that.”

“We’ve planned _grocery_ lists in combat before.” Chrystal punctuated the word ‘grocery’ with her own flurry, the first she knew would get blocked and the second had Lillian have to move just enough she didn’t block Shina’s next attack easily. “Granted...that was a far easier fight. But, still, any time now Shina.”

Growling in frustration and rolling his eyes, Shina glanced up at his aura levels. They’d been dropping since he joined in with Chrystal on fighting Lillian, so the fight was on a timer anyway. So he nodded, and concentrated. Between her constant need to turn her attention back and forth, Lillian saw as Shina’s skin went even paler and the gold in his eyes became even more pronounced, and then all of a sudden he was avoiding her strikes far easier, able to simply dodge ones he would have been forced to parry only a few seconds ago.

Now dealing with two opponents with unnatural reflexes, she was forced to speed up even faster, but if she wanted to get fast enough to keep up with them again she’d have to drop her Semblance, drop the extra weight. But if she did that they’d just be able to safely start parrying again.

Swearing under her breath, she dropped her Semblance, the diamonds retracting back into her skin. But she was suddenly fast enough to be a threat to her two opponents again, even if they could both parry her more safely now.

Glancing up at their aura levels for a split moment, she could see Shina’s dropping, and it was an easy assumption for her that it was a result of his Semblance. Switching entirely to defense, she dedicated most of her time to Shina, and he clearly noticed, narrowing his eyes.

When she noticed Chrystal drop back and retreat, she blinked in concern before suddenly Shina stepped up his offense, driving her further and further back. Pushing him back violently to buy herself a moment to look around, Chrystal had entirely vanished from view, with very few places she could have gone.

But before she could check every angle, Shina was on her again, and pressed even harder.

Still sticking entirely to defense, she watched his aura dropping, getting closer and closer to where it needed to be. Before suddenly, just as his aura reached that critical point, his entire moveset changed, and she soon found one blade flung out of her hand just as her back hit the trunk of a tree he had been driving her back towards. Hearing the rustling of leaves, she internally clenched before glancing up into the branches just for Chrystal to pop her in the head once again with an air bullet, and the moment she hit the ground Shina brought his blade down onto her torso.

_“And through ferocity, finesse, and familiarity, Shina and Chrystal have brought Lillian’s aura down below the threshold and finished this match!!”_

As the crowd went to their feet in a roar louder than thunder, Shina let his Semblance close back up as he slumped, reaching down with his free hand to pull Lillian to her feet as Chrystal casually dropped from the tree, spinning her pistol back into its holster and almost swaying on her feet from exhaustion.

“Is that normal for her?” Lillian groaned in sore exhaustion as gestured up to where Chrystal’s aura levels were still almost full, the girl having barely taken more than a scratch the entire fight.

Shina tiredly nodded, before grinning. “What about with Angel? Is that normal?”

Nodding with a smile, Lillian grinned widely at the two of them for a few moments before she laughed in adrenaline-fuelled wonder and started making her way out of the ring just as Kylar and Tacita rejoined them on it.

The four of them, all battered and bruised and at the point of exhaustion, grinned around each other as they gathered in the center of the arena.

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, Team SKTC are victorious and pass on to the doubles round!”_

With the words officially said now that the team had all gathered in the center of the arena, the crowd erupted, with all sides of the crowd cheering at one of the most spectacular matches of the tournament so far, especially between two of the higher combat ranked teams.

Grinning around at the crowd, they noticed when the cameras took a turn on each of them individually, and this time none of them could resist looking into it and acknowledging it, with Chrystal once again winking cheekily.

Once the cameras cut away, they very tiredly made their way out of the arena, too tired to really even talk. Stepping into the preparation room, they were immediately bombarded with cheers and whoops again, with a decent amount of the Beacon contestants who had participated the previous day having come straight from the audience stands to congratulate them.

Shina chuckled in exhausted amusement as Velvet skipped up to him and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek.

“That was amazing. That was _so_ …” 

Unable to find the word, she simply just kissed him, her arms around his neck, before stopping after a few moments so that he could keep making his way to where SKTC had slumped, Kylar’s parents and a few others were already there, with Chrystal sitting with her head on Petyr’s shoulder while talking to a kneeling and widely smiling Cypher.

Joining the group but remaining standing, Shina stepped out of Velvet’s embrace only long enough to take off his sword, and then immediately letting her press into his side again.

As Kylar and Tacita recounted the match to a smiling Logan and Tesse, and Chrystal did the same to Petyr was also threatening to fall asleep on his shoulder, Shina was content stroking his fingers up and down Velvet’s side and listening, looking between them all.

They were his team.

And they had just…

Grinning to himself, he nodded in his thoughts, only for Velvet to kiss his cheek lightly.

“You deserve to grin. I’m proud of you. I know Coco and the others are too, they’re just waiting for tonight to say it.”

“Well, I could certainly use a drink after that. But first, lunch. And...I’m also going to need to go get my sword repaired, I think.”

+=+=+

When the team matches dragged on a bit longer than expected it was decided that the doubles matches wouldn’t be started until the following morning, giving all the teams a whole afternoon to do repairs and recuperate.

Considering how battered most of the teams were by the time all the team matches had finished, no-one was complaining.

And just as had happened the previous night, eventually SKTC found themselves at the victory bar and this time they were there to celebrate their own victory, though this time Shina remained to be with his team, as it was right where he belonged after what they had achieved that day and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

While at the start of the night the crowd had been large, with almost all of their friends in attendance, as the hours went by they left one by one, each person who left progressively drunker than the last person.

Team SPKZ all departed first, apparently now being on Ironwood’s shitlist for some reason and not wanting to give him any more reasons to get even madder or more disappointed. Team BRGT had been next to leave, and soon after them Logan and Tesse had left from where they’d been having private drinks with Kylar and Tacita.

While Weiss didn’t attend due to having to entertain her sister who had arrived in the city that day, the other members of Team RWBY came in, though Ruby only stayed briefly before she went off to spend the night goofing off with her uncle and Blake and Yang only stayed for a couple of drinks to congratulate them and talk for a bit before heading out with their own plans for the night.

Surprisingly, CFVY, JNPR, and CULD all swung in to offer their congratulations as well, so at their busiest, when _everyone_ was still in attendance, the bar was mostly filled with SKTC and their friends. But only an hour or so after CFVY left, JNPR finally said their goodnight, leaving just team SKTC sitting quietly and warmly, sipping drinks and still amazed that they’d pulled off what they had.

There wasn’t much need or desire for conversation, the achievement felt like a speechless one, and there were only so many ways you could say out loud that you couldn’t believe that you’d just done. They’d formally submitted that Shina and Chrystal would be the two going through to the doubles round, and when the other teams had found out none of them had been surprised, but some of them had jokingly said that the prospect terrified them.

The clock was getting close to ten when a voice near them had them all jump up, Tacita having retracted her Semblance almost completely that she hadn’t noticed anyone even approaching them.

“Mind if we join you? Even if just for a single drink?”

Shina looked up at where a bruised but smiling Lucille was standing to ask them, the rest of Team LAVA waiting over by the bar so things weren’t crowded. Glancing around at the other’s of SKTC, they all gave smiles, so Shina nodded happily.

“Sure, the more the merrier.”

Smiling in thanks, Lucille gestured to hear teammates to come over, each with their own drinks already, and they moved another table over to join it up and sit down to join them, Alice sitting next to Chrystal. Lucille raised her glass to them upon sitting.

“If you don’t want us to intrude too long then we won’t, we just wanted to find you guys and say, well, the four of us talking among ourselves and we all agreed that was the most fun and challenging fight we’ve ever had, so…thank you.”

“Yeah that was…” Shina let out a breath slowly and raised his eyebrows. “It was certainly an experience. Lillian, you’re _definitely_ better than Pyrrha Nikos.”

“Thank you. Without my Semblance I wouldn’t have managed to hold you off as long as I managed to.” Lillian smiled from further down the table, taking a sip. “And that was before I was dealing with _both_ of you.”

“So…” Chrystal put her glass down and tilted her head when she looked at her. “Do you just...turn into diamond? Is that pretty much it?”

“Anything that my aura is wrapped around, I can it turn into diamond if I want to, yes.” Lillian nodded in confirmation, lifting her glass so they could watch as it turned from clear glass into pure diamond and then back again. “But it turns back as soon as it leaves my aura. So, no, I can’t create infinite diamonds.”

“Meanwhile _you,”_ Alice prodded Chrystal with a few pokes to her arm. “Were holding out on me when we talked. What even _is_ your Semblance?”

“Ehhh, we haven’t really nailed it down.” Chrystal crunched her face up, but grinned. “As far we can tell I’ve got enhanced agility, flawless reflexes to the point I can even dodge things I can’t see or otherwise consciously detect, and my dexterity is off the charts.”

“That’s one way to say it…” Lucille snorted as she drank. “I didn’t land a hit on you.”

Lillian hummed in agreement before giving Chrystal a smile. “You’re _much_ faster than me. With more training on your offense, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. I gotta say, it’s been a while since I’ve failed to hit someone I’m fighting.”

“Hey, I didn’t really land a hit on _any_ of them.” Angel scoffed, speaking up finally with a frustrated but amused expression. “So don’t feel bad. I got a few shots in on Kylar and Tacita but I wouldn’t have been of use at all against the other two.”

“Yeah, okay, _speaking of_ Semblances.” Tacita perked up, leaning forward so she could look down the middle of the tables at Angel. “What the hell?”

“It’s...complicated.” Angel let out a sigh and a shrug, before rolling up the sleeves of her jacket enough that SKTC could see a pair of strange cuffs around each wrist. “I have so much aura that it has to be filtered and restrained, otherwise I’ll burn up. I had to get these specially made just to be able to compete with no risk to the arena, beforehand it was just held through my willpower. And it was _exhausting._ ”

“So...infinite aura? Is that what I’m hearing?” Chrystal raised her eyebrows, and Angel smirked and shook her head.

“No, not infinite. Just...very very large. And it recharges very very quickly. And before I got these bindings there was the chance that if I got hit and it sparked...it’d go off. Like a bomb.” Angel gave a shy shrug and took a sip of her drink as a sign she wasn’t sure what else to add. “It’s why I don’t really do much fighting. And also why I’m not particularly...good at it. Couldn’t really risk it up until now, but I guess that now that I have the filters I can start training properly.”

Nodding in encouragement to her friend even as she was drinking, Lillian gave a thumbs up, before swallowing and grinning. “That’s what _I’m_ here for.”

“Okay, so; diamonds, infinite aura...chameleon?” Chrystal went around the table, and raised her eyebrows questioningly when she got to Alice, who grinned and nodded, putting her arm on the table, and they watched as it shifted to mirror the table underneath it.

“It’s not an illusion Semblance either, the colours you’re seeing have genuinely changed.” As if to prove the point, Alice raised her arm and the pattern of the table remained for a few moments before she let it fade away. She raised an eyebrow at Tacita. “So how did _you_ see me?”

“Oh. Me. Right. Three-hundred-sixty degrees sight and sound awareness, which I can make unnaturally flawless within a set range that I’m working on increasing. Even if it _had_ been an illusion, I would have still seen you. And if I hadn’t seen you, I would have heard you.” Tacita grinned as she took a sip of her drink. “I also have echolocation.”

“Well shit.” Alice blinked, sitting back in her chair. “That makes me feel better. I was worrying that I was just having an off day.”

“And _you,”_ Kylar pointed to Lucille. “Project your aura as shields and barriers.”

“Yeah pretty much.” Lucille shrugged with a grin. “Meanwhile you’re just weird.”

Choking on her drink, Chrystal cackled into her sleeve even as she coughed to clear her throat and lungs. Nodding in complete agreement, she gave Lucille a grin that had the other girl wink at her in amusement.  
Meanwhile even though it was clear that Kylar wanted to argue, for the sake of his pride, after considering it for a few seconds he let it go, grinning and shrugging. It was a bitch of a Semblance to explain to people anyway.

“And then we have Shina.” Lillian smiled warmly as she tapped the rim of her glass with her finger and looked at the man in question. When he almost went to speak, he stopped when she narrowed her eyes in thought, thinking. “Hmm...well, from what I could tell, you’re able to progressively enhance your physical abilities, but it burns aura to do it.”

“...that pretty much sums it up, yeah.” Shina nodded with a smile and shrug, finishing his drink and putting the empty glass down, before he stood at the same time Lucille did with her own empty glass, and they made their way to the bar.

Sighing and leaning on the bar as she waited for her refill, Lucille winced and rubbed the gradually healing bruise on her torso from Tacita’s arrow, raising her eyebrows as she thought over it. Glancing to Shina, she raised her eyebrows.

“Tacita certainly knows what she’s doing.”

“She does. She trains the hardest out of all of us.” Shina nodded, smiling proudly as he glanced over at the table and looked at where the other six were sitting. “I’m just sad you and I didn’t get to go up against each other.”

“Well, we’re in the city for another two weeks, so just hit me up.” She gave him a smile, picking up her fresh drink to clink it against his. Taking a sip, she looked down at her glass in thought, tapping her fingertips on the side. “You guys really have your teamwork down, you barely needed to communicate.”

“Spending a lot of time in the field has helped, but we’re also just...close.”

Nodding slowly, Lucille smiled. “I can understand that. While we have a decent chunk of field experience, not much of it is directly combat.”

“How do you mean?” Shina frowned, turning to face her properly and leaning on the bar.

“Angel and Alice are focusing on becoming combat medics. Both of their parents are doctors, and the two of them want to follow in their footsteps, but as Huntsmen. My own Semblance helps with that. So while we do get field time, a lot of it is rescue, and working with the medivac teams.” She smiled fondly to where Alice and Angel were chatting with Chrystal, the three of them rather animated. “I don’t mind much. But I think this tournament has hammered it home for them that they do need to get better at fighting. And so they will.”

“And Lillian?”

“ _That’s_ a complicated one.” Lucille snorted and shrugged, thinning her lips after taking a sip of her drink to buy herself time to think. “And not my story to tell.”

Thinking over his own particular story and frowning, Shina nodded, watching as Lillian had drawn Kylar and Tacita into conversation as well, while Chrystal had actively moved over to sit at the same table as Angel and Alice, the three girls leaning in and talking, with Lillian switching to the seat Chrystal had just vacated.

“I’m not surprised they all get along.” Lucille spoke up from next to him, snapping him out of it and getting his attention. He smiled.

“Me neither. It feels like we’ve made quite a few friends this tournament.”

“We’re friends, are we?” Lucille smirked, but it turned into a small genuine smile as she turned her head to face him, and he gave a friendly nod.

“If you’d like to be.”

“...I’d like that.”

+=+=+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I believe...that's all the major OC's introduced now?  
> *checks plot outline and spreadsheet*  
> Yes! It is! That's the main cast all introduced! All ten billion of them.


	16. Doubles Or Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the doubles round begins and Tacita's paranoia grows close to a breaking point. Sunny and Petyr mull over just how seriously they have to take their match knowing Ironwood is keeping a close eye on them, meanwhile Shina and Chrystal couldn't be more excited and apprehensive about fighting opponents they could never have predicted.

Arriving at the arena at eight-thirty the next morning, Shina and Chrystal were content to doze on the benches, no longer as anxious as they had been the previous day for the team matches. Now that it was just the two of them, they didn’t need to divide their attention to protecting their two support members, and with only two opponents they could pair them off, each of them essentially fighting a singles match.  
Which was the sort of fight both of them preferred, and felt more suited for.

Only the pairs fighting from each team were allowed in the preparation room, but with every team’s pairs present at the same time it was still rather crowded and loud, and while Chrystal dozed laying across a bench with her head on Petyr’s lap, Shina was sitting up on a bench against the wall with one eye open as he gazed around at the competition. Most of them were going to be fun challenges if they came up, and he and Pyrrha briefly met gazes and gave each other a smile now that there was a decent likelihood they could be pitted against each other.  
Weiss and Yang were off to the side within talking distance of Pyrrha and Nora, with Weiss loading the dust chambers of her sword quietly while Yang dozed much like Chrystal was doing, her head resting on her jacket as a pillow. Coco and Yatsuhashi stood off in a corner of the room, deep in their own conversation, but Coco and Shina had made sure to hug and wish each other luck when both had first arrived.

As more and more teams began to filter in, Shina’s other eye clicked open and he kicked Chrystal’s leg gently to get her attention, the girl waking up with a jolt and looking at him with confused eyes. He tilted his head towards the door, and when she sat up to look at who had walked in her face broke out into a smile. Reika and Biatriss of Team RNBW had made their way in, both of them looking nervous and whispering to each other in quiet voices as they found a free table to sit at and start their own preparations.

“Holy shit...they got through the team round.” Chrystal whispered, grinning in a mixture of pride and anticipation as she looked back to Shina, whose smile was smaller but just as proud and impressed.

“Clearly they did. Good on them.”

Sunny nodded from across Chrystal and Petyr’s table, raising his eyebrows. “Their match was after yours, while you guys were down getting food and dropping your weapons off to get repaired. They beat Team SHNE of Atlas, friends of mine.”

“How’d they do, overall?” Shina sat up properly, rolling his shoulders to work out the stiffness of laying back, and Sunny gave an impressed look as he went back to doing last checks.

“Team SHNE are third years, and they’re good. Was one hell of a match.”

“Third years?” Chrystal blinked, looking to Shina again. “RNBW are only first years.”

_“All contestants, the pairings for the doubles round are not selected by on-the-spot randomization! Instead they will be randomized ahead of time, so please turn your attention to the monitors. And I would recommend paying apt attention!”_

With the voice of Professor Oobleck sounding over the speakers, everyone in the preparation room looked to the most visible monitor near them.  
Chrystal and Shina glanced at each other with surprised eyebrows, watching and listening as the different pairings were listed off one by one. 

When Penny and Ciel were paired off against Russel and Sky, Petyr narrowed his eyes in thought. 

Quietly, in secret, he unsurprisingly had figured out quite a while ago what the deal with Penny was, able to ‘hear’ her internal mechanisms if he got too close to her.

Of course he’d immediately gone to Ironwood to confess that he’d found out, so that there was full transparency, and he’d been given a firm order to keep it secret. Penny was also aware that he knew, and had been relieved to have someone she was able to be honest and upfront with, especially considering his unique ability to communicate with her perfectly if either of them felt the need for it, simply by taking her hand and using his semblance.  
And, frankly, he also happened to like the girl. She was a lot like he had been before he’d met Chrystal, which was a thought that made him smile. Meanwhile the members of SKTC had made their opinions of CRDL _very_ clear.

So he was looking forward to watching his friend wipe the floor with a pair of bullies.

Sunny visibly raised an eyebrow when eventually Weiss and Yang from Team RWBY were paired against Flynt and Neon from Team FNKI, who were students that Sunny had...mixed feelings about. Far more talented than they made themselves look, they used a... _different_ _sort_ of combat philosophy than SPKZ did.  
Sure they were nice enough, _all four_ members of Team FNKI were wonderfully charming and incredibly easy to talk to.

That was the problem.

They talked a lot.

A _lot_.

So, so much.

Which was probably why Zavraii got along with them so much. And why Kirian _didn’t._

So it was an interesting pair-up, and definitely a match he was going to make sure to watch.

_“Our sixth match will be: Team SPKZ of Atlas versus Team ORNJ of Beacon!”_

The two pairs glanced over at each other, and Sunny nodded respectfully at Orjiin, who gave a respectful smile and nod back before turning to talk to Jade, who glanced over at Sunny and Petyr with a curious expression, having clearly watched their match.

_“Our eighth and final doubles match will be: Team RNBW of Beacon versus Team SKTC of Beacon!”_

Widening her eyes, Chrystal slowly looked over at Shina with a shocked and grim expression, and he simply gave a resigned nod before immediately flicking his eyes over, knowing that Reika would be looking their way. She was, and when they met each other's stare he made sure to give her a confident nod and a challenging smirk, which gave her a wave of reassurance and confidence, enough for her to grin widely back in anticipation before turning to Biatriss.

“That’s going to be...an interesting one.” Sunny muttered, mostly to himself but loud enough that the others could hear it too. “They were good. _Very_ good.”

“Just make sure not to tell us anything about what they can do. I don’t want to cheat.” Chrystal said as she kissed Petyr on the cheek softly and shuffled so she was sitting up properly, drumming her hands on the table in thought.

“Which also means _we_ don’t hold back.” Shina said sternly, making sure to raise his eyebrows at Chrystal when she looked over at him. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded, tapping her hand on the table in anxiety. “Chrystal, clearly they can handle themselves. I’m just sorry they don’t get to have revenge on Team CRDL.”

Snorting in agreement, Chrystal tilted her head in a sideways nod and shrugged, laying back down and closing her eyes again. “Well, if none of us are fighting until after lunchtime, do we really intend on sitting around here until then?”

“Yeah screw that.” Shina abruptly stood and stretched. “Let’s go grab some food and join the others?”

“Sounds like a plan, you two coming?” Chrystal kicked to her feet and looked to Sunny and Petyr, who both glanced at each other and shrugged before standing, the four of them heading to the stands in time for them to watch Coco and Yatsuhashi against Emerald and Mercury.

Plopping down in the same seating section as all of their friends, the competitors seating area always having plenty of spare seats now that a lot of the eliminated teams didn’t even attend the matches, Chrystal sat back in her chair and sighed as Petyr sat down next to her and began to run his fingers through her hair. Chrystal glanced over at Kylar and Tacita. “Shina and I are the last match of the day. We’re going to be waiting _forever._ ”

“Well, at least in the doubles you get a schedule of when you’re going.” Kylar shrugged as he passed over his popcorn for Chrystal and Petyr to grab a handful of. “I’m kinda relieved honestly, I’m having lunch with my mum and dad and I was worried that it might result in me being late for your match.”

“Yeah? Anything serious?” From where Shina was sitting nearby, Velvet’s head on his lap as the girl dozed, Shina raised his eyebrows at Kylar, nodding in relief when Kylar shook his head.

“Nah, just lunch. So, the doubles all day, and then the first Singles match tomorrow night, huh? You ready?”

Scoffing, Shina rolled his eyes as he ran a few fingers through Velvet’s hair. “You guys are so convinced I’m going to make it that far, but if Lillian was any proof yesterday then I am definitely not so certain of a spot. I wouldn’t have beaten her without Chrystal.”

“Only because you didn’t fully use your Semblance.”

“I’m not going to rely on it, Kylar. Besides it would have hurt me quite a chunk, if I’d gone to the Third Cut.”

“You really sure Lillian could beat Pyrrha?” Tacita frowned, sitting back in her chair in thought, before being surprised when Kylar nodded even before Shina did.

“Pyrrha’s Semblance is polarity, it helps her in a fight by nudging and redirecting her opponent's weapons. Can’t do that if Lillian’s weapons are made of diamond and not metal.”

“Gotta say, it’s a hell of a Semblance.” Chrystal laughed, still impressed enough to shake her head and cross her arms. “She actually nicked my armour a few times too, but only when she wasn’t weighed down.”

“No kidding?” Kylar raised his eyebrows, glancing around and up a few rows to where Team LAVA were sitting and chatting, waiting for the matches to start. When Angel noticed him looking, she waved brightly, and he smiled and waved back.

Chrystal nodded, running her hands along the sleeves of her padded jacket.

“I’m serious. She got through to skin three times, and scraped my armour far more times than that.”

To prove it, Chrystal sat forward and showed them the three cuts in her leathers that she had repaired the previous night, Tacita raising her eyebrows at how neat and direct they were. The swordswoman knew what she was doing, that was just getting confirmed more and more.  
When the speaker system came on to announce that the match between Coco and Yatsuhashi against Mercury and Emerald was starting, they all looked forward again to pay attention, Shina bopping Velvet on the nose affectionately to get her to sit up, the girl immediately perking up when she realised her friends were about to come out onto the field. Tacita waited just until the last moment when the horn sounded before pushing her Semblance to focus on every detail of the match.

It was going to be an interesting day.

+=+=+

From the moment the first match ended, all the way through until lunch time, Tacita barely spoke a word, instead lost in her own thoughts and her eyes narrowed. The moment the matches had paused for a two hour break over lunch, she had waved the others off so she could go off on her own and think. It was something she did pretty regularly, so they didn’t question her too much, trusting that she would be back in the arena in time for the matches to start again.  
Her hands folded behind her back as she walked, she bit the inside of her bottom lip as she made her way in a specific pattern around the campus and festival grounds, her Semblance stretched out in a large radius around her, until she found who she was looking for.

It was easy to sit a comfortable distance away, with a few festival stands between them, as she kept an eye on Mercury and Emerald and listened in on them, the pair gradually making their way to their dorm.

While it still wasn’t _easy_ for her to listen through walls she was able to do it if she focused, so hidden out of sight outside the building she closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could to overhear their conversation as the pair talked over their match with their teammate, Cinder.

Only a few minutes into the conversation, Tacita’s eyes clicked open.

She was right. Emerald was an illusionist.

She _knew_ that some of Coco’s and Yatsuhashi’s responses and actions had been ‘off’, she’d seen it, and now she knew why.

Clenching her jaw in thought as she continued to listen in, she heard Shina’s and Chrystal’s names mentioned, but only in a comment about how the three of them were going to find the match against RNBW to be ‘practically cruel’. A few off-hand comments about preparing Mercury for the singles rounds, and the short catch-up seemed to finish quickly.

Deciding that nothing more important was going to be said, and also feeling her Semblance struggling, she reduced it back to normal and sat for a while in her thoughts.

If Shina got pitted against Mercury, it was going to be an interesting fight. It had been a long time since Tacita had been scared for Shina in a fight, not since he’d opened the Fourth Cut for the first time and almost broken his entire rib cage and _did_ break his right leg. But this team…  
A small shiver of fear for him went through her. Her teammate was determined to keep the true strengths of his Semblance in reserve, just in case there were no other options.  
Against an opponent like Mercury, there might just be no other option.

Putting her hands into her pockets, she began to wander. Petyr’s and Sunny’s match was only two fights away, and the one before it was Pyrrha and Nora. It was a given that it was in the bag for Pyrrha and Nora, but it was only right to be there to support her friends. If she was entirely honest with herself though, the grand final being between Pyrrha and Shina no longer felt like a certainty.

As long as one of the two made it that far at least, she’d be happy, and she knew that Shina would be okay with that as well.

But something was in the air, something she wasn’t seeing, and it was driving her crazy. Feeling blind, feeling that something was getting by her, was always one of the scariest feelings on the planet, almost paralytic. So, she did as she always did when she began to feel the start of that paralytic fear; She gave in to what her Semblance was unconsciously trying to show her.  
Swinging by their dorm room, she only hesitated for a moment before grabbing her bow and quiver, and Myriadisca and Kylar’s dust case, returning them to the armoury and their personal lockers. While they preferred keeping them close at hand in their rooms, with things the way they currently were Tacita didn’t want it possible to not be able to get her bow to her the moment she needed it.

Tapping in the code for her locker after storing Kylar’s staff and dust inside of his own, she sighed in comfort at the assortment of arrowhead canisters and spare components before hanging up her gear inside. Maybe she _was_ being paranoid, or maybe she was just scared. But they’d been chasing ghosts, and too many coincidences were lining up for her to be able to ignore them any further.  
If anything was going to happen, it was now only a matter of time. A matter of _days._

Every touch of pressure was building up to a bursting point. And unlike with the breach, this one was going to be a targeted detonation.

Torchwick was the sort of man who occasionally made mistakes.

Whoever they were up against, wasn’t.

And while she didn’t have any conclusive proof, she knew she’d be keeping a closer eye on Cinder, Mercury and Emerald until the three of them left the school grounds to return to Haven with whoever their fourth teammate was, the girl with black hair and green eyes who’d been staring at them the day Kylar’s parents had arrived. Who Tacita’s Semblance had trouble locking onto let alone being able to trule scrutinise the girl. She almost appeared _blurry_ to it.  
There wasn’t a single thing about that team she trusted, and she knew she wasn’t alone in that sentiment, pretty much her entire team shared it and SPKZ weren’t particularly comfortable with them either.

As for the bodies in the warehouse, which had vanished without a clue…she wasn’t even sure how to begin investigating that front. It was a horrifying and random event, that they couldn’t follow, as it left no traces. The warehouse that their mystery girl they’d been chasing had apparently been seen near a few times, with a man matching the description of the man Chrystal had seen that night. So the bodies, and whatever it was that had attacked Chrystal, was clearly all a part of what was going on as well.  
But what purpose would Torchwick and his conspirators (who as far as Tacita could tell were focusing more on Grimm and also courting the White Fang) have with a mound of corpses? And according to Chrystal, they weren’t picky about the bodies they got their hands on.

Closing her locker gently and resting her forehead against it when she heard it click locked, she closed her eyes and sighed. She knew she was likely just getting overwhelmed by everything they were up against, and everything that Ozpin wasn’t telling them, wasn’t telling _anyone_ . But she could feel it that something _had_ to be coming, and it was coming before the end of the tournament.

The timing was too perfect for it to be a coincidence.

Maybe she was just being paranoid.

But it’s not paranoia if everyone really is out to get you.

Putting her hands back into her pockets, she made her way to the airjets and rose up to the stadium, quickly and quietly getting back to her seat with ten minutes to spare before the match, waving off when her friends looked at her with questions and concern and instead simply resting her head on Kylar’s shoulder when she sank back down.  
But, she knew she had to snap out of it soon.   
She wanted to be properly attentive when she watched Pyrrha and Nora turn their unfortunate opponents into soup.

+=+=+

Only an hour later, sitting at one of the many large tables in the preparations room, Petyr had his hands templed in front of his face with his eyes closed as he thought, focusing himself. With ten minutes to go until it was time for him and Sunny to step out, he wasn’t letting himself be nervous, able to focus himself far easier than he’d been able to the previous day.  
For some reason, they were all finding that after doing the first fight the next one wasn’t anywhere near as anxiety inducing, which he found to be particularly helpful considering his...tendency towards giving _into_ anxiety whenever it popped up.

When a hand patted his back, he opened his eyes as Sunny sat down next to him. Resting his head on his hand, elbow on the table, and sighing in a mixture of impatience and concern, something eating away inside of him, and it had been ever since Ironwood had dragged him away after their match.

Apart from Zavraii, the other three members of Team SPKZ were typically quiet people, never feeling much need to chat. Petyr talked when he was nervous, but around his teammates he was never nervous, so he and Sunny simply sat quietly as they waited. Petyr kept an eye on the monitor as things counted down, the biomes being repaired underneath the arena just in case they were needed again soon and there were any substantial damages.  
Considering they had just had to withstand Nora, the possibility of ‘substantial damage’ was pretty likely.  
So until then, the pair were content to sit quietly, both of them finished in their equipment checks and maintenance and instead with nothing to do for the last few minutes except sit quietly in their own thoughts.

Orjiin and Jade of Team ORNJ appeared to be a similar way, over where they were sitting, simply fixing up final work on their equipment and giving each other confident looks, small smiles on their faces.

“Well, they look...concerningly self-assured.” Sunny raised an eyebrow as he remarked, and Petyr grinned in response, standing up and tapping the pad on his wrist to wake it up in preparation for walking out onto the field.

“Come on.”

Nodding, Sunny stood and grabbed his own blade, resting it on his shoulder as the two walked to stand by the hallway they would be walking down in two minutes time.

“Think we’ve got this?” Sunny raised his eyebrows casually, grinning as Petyr shrugged.

“Eh. You’re the team leader, what do you think?” 

“I think we’re going to need a drink and a good sleep afterwards, but other than...keep him off my back, and I can handle her.”

As soon as they heard the loudspeaker crackle on, they didn’t bother waiting to hear the official words, already making their way down the hallway casually, soon hearing the sound of footsteps as Orjiin and Jade began to follow, carrying their own gear.  
Taking to the field, both Petyr and Sunny did their best to ignore the crowds for the first few moments, instead remaining focused as they each thought over what was about to happen. They had watched Team ORNJ’s match, and they knew that ORNJ had watched theirs, so they likely had expectations of each other.  
And Petyr was more than willing to predict what assumptions they had made about him. Granted, most of them were likely to be accurate, but he had to make sure they didn’t know that.

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, Sunny Whistlewind and Petyr Fevera representing Team SPKZ of Atlas!”_

Just like in their team match, the cameras made sure to focus on each of them individually, now having time to linger on them both a little longer. Despite Sunny’s reasonably high ranking, coming in at number seven in terms of combat strength, Petyr’s score in the high twenties was certain to have a few people concerned for his safety, and for his team's sanity.  
But, he was used to that.  
Taking their places, they both finally let themselves look around at the crowd and noise around them, grinning, with Petyr making sure to catch Chrystal’s eye from where she was sitting in the stands, all of SKTC cheering for them.

Smiling, he simply winked at her, and got an amused quirked eyebrow in response which turned into a loving and enthusiastic smile.

When Orjiin and Jade entered the field, the noise of the crowd picked up again.

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, Orjiin Melai and Jade Escaria representing Team ORNJ of Beacon!_

Orjiin was an extremely sharp featured and pale boy, with blue eyes so light they were almost silver. Dressed in a simple outfit of black leather pants and a leather jacket over a red t-shirt, finished off with strong looking combat boots. Whatever combination his weapon was capable of had it currently in the form of what appeared to be some sort of harpoon launcher, except glowing with laser ammunition instead of traditional harpoons. Clean cut, with a serious disposition, Orjiin was in the mid-teens in terms of combat rankings, and while that meant he wasn’t high as Sunny it still meant he was stronger than Petyr, who was the one who’d have to be dealing with him.

Meanwhile Jade was dressed far lighter, with a short dark green skirt over a black pair of short-shorts, and a black short-sleeved button-up with half the buttons undone over a white singlet, finished off with black converse shoes and black knee-high socks. Her weapons appeared to be a dark green pair of clawed metal gauntlets, with barrels on the knuckles of clearly some sort of ranged application.

But both Sunny and Petyr knew that despite her playful appearance she wasn’t to be underestimated a single bit, with her combat ranking having her at ninth strongest at Beacon. Not only were the claws on her gauntlets made of reinforced ice dust, but her Semblance allowed her to keep her gauntlets (or anything she touched) dangerously cold as well, _deeply_ below freezing temperature. Any scratch from her that got through aura would result in rapid onset frostbite, and even if her target _did_ still have aura left to ward off the attack the extreme lingering cold would eat away at it over time with every strike. She didn’t need to hit hard, or even particularly _well_ , just quick and light strikes were enough. And as long as she kept getting them in then her opponents would be eaten away at.

In many ways her Semblance was a solid opposite of Sunny’s, whose incredible heat and flames did massive damage in concentrated hits. But hers had the added strength of being that you couldn’t visibly see it, unlike his fire.

Meanwhile Orjiin’s Semblance was a bit more of a problem overall, able to build up his aura and release it in intense flashes of blinding light that could temporarily blind and disorient his opponents. While it used up his aura to do it, it didn’t take up much, and he was able to release his bursts with barely any warning that it was coming. While it wasn’t exactly as devastating as Jade’s, doing no damage on its own, if he timed it well enough with both his own attacks but also his teammates then their opponents wouldn’t be able to defend themselves.

So neither Sunny or Petyr were surprised that they were the pair sent through to the doubles round, considering the potency of their teamwork. Meanwhile both Orjiin and Jade seemed completely confused as to why Petyr was the other member on the field, having likely expected one of the other two, considering their more direct combat skills.  
But, Petyr knew they were aware of his drones nonetheless. Though they didn’t know _everything_ he could do with them.  
After being introduced by Professor Port yet again, the biome selectors rolled, and all four of them watched with apprehensive and eager eyes.

Ocean, and Ice.

They both raised their eyebrows at each other. Two water based biomes was heaven for Jade, and offered little cover that might be used to hide from Orjiin’s flashes. But, that didn’t mean that Sunny and Petyr were in helpless territory.  
Taking their stances as the countdown began, they gave each other a glance and each of them raised their eyebrows. There was a _basic_ strategy in mind that they didn’t even need to say out loud in order to know that chances are the other one was thinking the exact same thing;

Considering Sunny and Jade basically cancelled each other out, Sunny would be able to keep up the pressure on her while Petyr dealt with Orjiin.

A prospect that Petyr wasn’t thrilled about, but his drones wouldn’t be affected by Orjiin’s flashes, which gave him an edge. It was still a matter of eliminating him though, which was a problem that Petyr was yet to come up with a plan about. Well, as his eyes lingered on Orjiin’s weapon for a moment and then glanced at the ice biome, he did have _half_ of a plan.  
But it would take a bit of setting up.

And laying the perfect bait.

But for now, he was out of time, and he knew that he wouldn’t have time to communicate it to Sunny effectively once things started, which meant he was going to have to guide his teammate into helping him through action.

Trusting Sunny to silently do his part, Petyr kept his eyes locked on Orjiin and his fingers hovering above his pad as the countdown started.

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3...2...1!”

The moment the fight started, both Sunny and Petyr were blinded, Orjiin flashing his Semblance as the first move of the fight. But even while he was blinded Petyr released a drone to slide over his head like a helmet like he had done in the teams round., focusing entirely into his Semblance and seeing through its eyes. Unaffected by the flash now, he was able to twist out of the way just in time to avoid a scratch from Jade, she and Orjiin clearly having decided to eliminate him first.  
Even as she missed him he could felt the painful cold radiating from her claws, and he wasted no time in attaching another drone to his back and pulsing out of her reach, quickly attaching the usual laser to his right arm and releasing a rapid volley of shots at Orjiin to push the man back, forcing him to retreat into the ice fields for cover.

By the time Sunny recovered and looked around, already bringing up his body temperature, neither Jade or Orjiin were anywhere to be seen, Jade having somehow vanished entirely. Growling in frustration but also in thought, Sunny made sure to keep his blade in a ready position as he watched the direction that Petyr was flying in. Trusting his teammate to keep Orjiin on the back foot, he turned his attention to finding Jade.  
It was during his turning that he noticed the mist rising from the water biome, and he raised his eyebrows as he saw the top surface of the water freezing over, Jade standing on the small island in the middle with her claws dipped into the water, a challenging smile on her face. While he couldn’t reach her without melting through the ice, she’d have no trouble darting across it to reach _him_ and then simply retreat back across it.

Considering his options and shrugging, Sunny decided to reveal for the first time that his weapon did actually have a ranged mode, and it was one that almost matched Kirian’s. Pulling the lever built into the massive hilt of his blade, a series of separations formed sections disconnected and morphed, and he was forced into a crouch to dig the bipod of the heavy caliber machine gun into the surface of the arena, pulling the loading bolt back and happily releasing a spray of fire bullets towards where Jade was confidently standing.

Her eyes widening, Jade was forced to extend her gauntlets and activate the strange barrels at the end of them, activating some of the water dust inside them and spraying it out in a dome which instantly froze, creating a shield of pure ice to hold off the bullets as she began to dart forward and close the distance. When Sunny redirected his attention to the ice at her feet, it began to melt, and she threatened to slip and fall into the appearing cracks.

Breaking her own shield, she clicked her gauntlets into a different form and released a blast of bullets in his direction, but he simply flicked a switch on the side of his gun and a hardlight shield formed to block his torso and face, while still being transparent enough for him to see through and aim.  
Forced to deflect his bullets with her gauntlets as she closed the distance, it was a slow push, but she was managing it.

Meanwhile Orjiin was having his own trouble against Petyr, who had released the rest of his drones to circle the ice biome as the boy floated above it constantly taking pot shots at the other boy. Orjiin was constantly forced whether to prioritise the drones that were clearly laying in wait, or their owner above who was firing at him. Making the decision, he slid to his knees and took careful aim, releasing a laser javelin right at Petyr, who barely moved out of the way of the extremely rapid projectile.  
Orjiin had realised immediately that his flashes were pointless, so keeping Petyr and his drones chasing him he quickly made his way out of the ice biome to quickly blind Sunny, the man having to squeeze his eyes shut, not able to avoid it in time when Jade closed the distance and her claws sliced along his arm. While his intense body heat, which he had been gradually raising since the start of the fight, held of the worst of the cold, the sharpness of the claws themselves still hurt, and his aura took a hit.

But, Orjiin paid for the assist when a grappling hook wrapped around his ankle from behind and yanked him back into the ice biome, where a laser bolt to the torso had his aura crackle as he rolled onto his back to fire up at the drone that was dragging him, singing the side of it and forcing Petyr to disengage it and pull it back.

Bringing his rifle around to fire it at another drone, or find Petyr himself, he was surprised to take a reinforced punch to the gut as he turned, Petyr having dropped to the ground and wrapping a drone around his other fist and arm in a spiked gauntlet.

The fact that the boy, who had taken a pure support role every moment of every fight so far, had dropped down into melee combat threw Orjiin mentally off-balance just enough that when Petyr’s other hand sunk into his chest and blasted him with a laser close range he couldn’t do anything about it, sent sprawling back, rolling behind a pillar of ice as Petyr immediately took to the sky again.

Realising very quickly that he was in trouble, matched up against a support fighter much like himself but while Petyr was immune to _his_ Semblance it wasn’t true in reverse, Orjiin knew he had to somehow get Petyr into a solid melee so Jade could get assist, and Orjiin could switch to Sunny.

The boy in question was standing and switching his machine gun back into the form of its heavy cleaver, which he immediately ignited in fire while keeping the rest of his body clear, just in time to bring it around to slam into Jade’s gut as she charged again, but she easily dropped to her knees and slid under it, swiping for his leg which was already raising to kick her in the face, sending her onto her back properly. The blade came down onto her, and she was forced to catch it in her gauntlets. With the two extreme temperatures beginning to compete, Sunny’s immense physical strength and weight trapped her from escaping the crush, and both of them began to increase the power of their Semblances, both of their weapons beginning to truly change colour.

Looking up at his face, Jade was surprised and impressed to see that he was totally calm and focused, without an ounce of rage or frustration, which were the two emotions that Team ORNJ always tried their best to make their opponents give into. Their two other teammates seemed to decide to assist at the same time, a javelin from Orjiin hitting Sunny in the chest almost at the exact same moment a laser blast hit Jade in her gut, both of them sent flying and disengaged from each other.

Hearing Petyr land behind him, Orjiin quickly shifted his harpoon launcher into its warhammer form and brought it around, the other boy quickly hopping back out of the way as he switched the laser form on his arm to a blade, but keeping the reinforced glove on his other hand. The two ranged supporters eyed each other off as they circled slowly, before Petyr looked at something of Orjiin’s shoulder, and Orjiin stole a quick glance to see as Sunny seemed to be pushing Jade further and further into the ice biome to join them, seemingly pushing Jade into her natural territory.

Realising this, Petyr hopped back and lifted off again, getting out of Orjiin’s range, and Orjiin figured it was safe enough to skip around the obstacles and flash Sunny, both himself and Jade then getting solid hits on the boy as Sunny and Jade finally entered the ice biome.

Up above, Orjiin heard the sound of Petyr’s loadout changing once again, and he looked up to see Petyr removing the blade from his hand, leaving his arm bare except for the command pad on his wrist, while the other arm switched back to the laser.

Meanwhile one drone continued to float overhead, always darting in jarring movements to be hard to get a hit on.

“Sunny! Burn!”

When Petyr called out to his teammate, Orjiin immediately felt a wave of heat as Sunny released the heat he had been building up inside, but instead of releasing it in the lethal wave he had done to finish his team match, he seemed to be releasing it just as ambient heat around them, causing the ice they were standing on, and that was surrounding them, to start to heavily mist. His eyes widening as the territory changed, Orjiin looked around at the quickly dense mist, knowing it would now be too thick for Sunny to see his flashes unless he got in close.

Dangerously close.

Hearing as Jade and Sunny continued to clash, hidden somewhere nearby and constantly on the move, discernible by the waves and ripples in the mist as they clearly brushed through it, Orjiin was surprised to hear Petyr land again somewhere nearby.

Petyr took a number of quick and deep breaths as he enhanced the heat vision on his visor, easily able to make out the three signatures of the other fighters currently lost in the thick mist. Flexing his fingers and preparing for how much it was going to hurt, he loudly ran his way over to Orjiin and took a blast at where he could see the boy, cracking his aura and getting him to spin to where he was. Giving off the slightest blast from his jetpack to give the impression he was rising into the air, he watched as Orjiin switched his weapon back to harpoon launcher form and began to retreat out of the mist.  
Nodding in satisfaction, again bracing for how much it was about to hurt, Petyr waited until Orjiin was out of the mist and back in the center of the ring before running straight towards him in a straight line. This was really about to burn.

As Orjiin brought his launcher up and fired it directly at him, Petyr had already clenched to take it full in the head and keep moving, his aura crackling violently and the heat visor shattering as he closed the distance, and instead of swinging with his armoured laser arm like Orjiin was clearly expecting, he simply reached out and grabbed the barrel of his gun with his free hand and activated his Semblance at its full strength for the barest of moments.

Orjiin looked down as his weapon, a laser launcher powered by circuitry, fried in his hands, the internal software overcooking, and the weapon died in his grip, no longer able to even transform back into its warhammer form. Looking up at Petyr, he nodded in impressed resignation as Petyr drove his arm into his chest and blasted him with his laser at close range, burning up the drones power banks entirely as he fired again and again, cracking Orjiin’s aura down to almost nothing.

_“With an agile use of his Semblance to disarm his opponent, Petyr has brought Orjiin’s aura below the 15% threshold! Orjiin is eliminated!”_

Nodding at each other in respect as Orjiin sank to the ground in intense pain before limping from the field, Petyr was forced to manually detach the now completely drained drone from his arm and let it clatter to the ground, then followed by the now broken helmet that had shielded him from the worst of the laser javelin.  
Taking a moment to rest himself, he had to quickly duck out of the way as Jade had retreated out of the ice biome and sent a spray of icy bullets his way, one of them cracking him in the shoulder and bringing his aura below 25%

Thankful when Sunny emerged as well only a few minutes later in pursuit, Jade now found herself caught between them, and growled in frustration when Petyr lifted off again. She’d whittled Sunny’s aura down dangerously low, while hers was doing decently, with her simply being too fast for him to keep up.  
A few more light scratches to Sunny, and the boy would be out, even as he ignited his body into low flames, nowhere near the extreme of the previous match but still dangerous to get close to. And as Petyr detached the drone on his arm above, leaving him hovering in the air with two drones free to be used however he wished, she was in trouble.  
Knowing she needed to focus on Sunny to get him out of the way so she could focus ranged attention on Petyr, she darted in and slid under his slash yet again, scratching along his back as she bounced to her feet. Noticing she was about to be hit in the face by a drone she easily caught it, froze it, and shattered it, just in time for Petyr to drop from above her and drive a kick down onto her head even as he landed rough next to her, pinning her with his knee as Sunny brought his blade down directly onto her chest.

It was over.

_“With the sort of teamwork they are known for, but with an uncharacteristic twist from Petyr Fevera, Jade’s aura level has been brought below the 15% threshold and is eliminated!”_

Reaching down, Petyr pulled Jade to her feet, thankful that she had immediately turned off her Semblance and deactivated her claws. Giving each other a smile, she immediately had to rub her head and groan in pain as she limped from the field, Sunny’s flames vanishing as he stood next to Petyr.  
Bringing his last two drones to seal into their default slots in their pack on his harness, Petyr was breathing heavily, his head still ringing from being shot in the face.  
Both of them limping to the center of the arena, Sunny with a vicious claw scratch on his right thigh, they stood next to each other.

_“With Team ORNJ fully eliminated from the arena, Team SPKZ are victorious and head into the Singles rounds!”_

The audience cheered, loudly, at the intense finish to what had been a match almost entirely of cat and mouse on both sides until Petyr had decided to mix things up and change the game. In the stands, Chrystal was almost vibrating as she looked at him with blazing eyes, and she was damn well pleased that the cameras seemed to focus more on him than on Sunny, even though Sunny had done well too.  
After a minute of smiling to the audience tiredly, the pair limped off the arena, and Chrystal immediately vanished from her seat in almost a blur to meet them there.

As Sunny and Petyr re-entered the preparation room, the cheering and clapping was loud, far louder than either of them had been expecting as Petyr got whoops and looks of intense admiration and respect. Smiling in appreciation at the response, he made his way over to the table where the arena caretakers had placed all his broken drones and parts, and took off his harness to place next to them, as well as unstrapping the command pad from his arm and putting it down as well.

Stretching his arms, he opened his eyes from the stretch just in time to watch his girlfriend skip over to him and grab him in a surprisingly tender hug, even though he could tell from her body heat that she wanted to do far more.

“That...was the…” Chrystal let out a deep breath before pulling him into a deep kiss for a few moments, grinning viciously against his lips. “That was unbelievable. You were...oh boy.”

The adrenaline still in his system compelled him to wrap his arms around her and kiss her back, scooping her up and getting plenty of catcalls and wolf-whistles from other people in the room. Putting her down when someone cleared their throat behind them, he turned and grinned at Kirian and Zavraii, who had entered soon after Chrystal.

“Tell me the truth…” Kirian asked with a rare smile, his arms crossed. “How much of that entire match did you have planned from the start? I know that look you had in your eye during the countdown.”

In all honesty, when he thought about it, Petyr was deeply happy with how much of his initial plan had gone off without a hitch, and that it had been easy and almost _natural_ to get Sunny to go along with it on the fly. So, without saying anything, he shrugged with a smile, before turning slightly pink at the impressed growl from Chrystal that he was sure only he heard, his eyes widening at the look that briefly flashed in her eyes.

Stepping closer, Kirian had Petyr freeze when he pulled him into a hug for a few moments, before stepping back and placing his hands on Petyr’s arms. “You did excellently. I feel it is only honest to confess to the shortcoming that Zavraii and I were...uncertain, about your volunteering to participate in the doubles round, with Sunny’s support. But you demonstrated without a shadow of a doubt that we were wrong to doubt you.”

“...thanks Kirian. And, thank you for letting me give it a go.” Petyr smiled and offered his hand, shaking Kirian’s warmly and firmly.

Meanwhile Zavraii stepped away from where he had been complimenting Sunny, and switched with Kirian, taking his place in front of Petyr with crossed arms and raised eyebrows. “Since when have you done _any_ close combat training?”

“Never have. But, I happen to have quite the kickass girlfriend, and I also have the habit of never being able to keep my eyes off of her.” Petyr grinned, putting an arm around Chrystal’s waist and pulling her in, getting her to gasp and then smile widely. “I picked up a few things.”

“You did amazingly, man. Truly.” Zav shook his head in wonder, giving a wide smile then stepping forward to pull Petyr into a deep hug. “I’m...sorry, that we doubt you sometimes. I really am.”

“No, it’s okay. I...do understand it.” Petyr sighed into the hug, patting Zav on the back. “Zav, I’m...not Huntsman material, I’ve known since I signed up. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be good _teammate_ material. I’ll always try and make you guys proud.”

Pulling back from the hug, Zav smiled with fierce pride and fondness as he gripped Petyr’s shoulder. “And I will always reaffirm for you that you do make us proud. You make _me_ proud. And ashamed of myself. I’ll make it up to you. Every day I doubted you, I’ll pay back. I’m…” He sighed and looked down, an ashamed look on his face. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be. I never hold it against you. Let’s just...let me be maybe a _bit_ impressive from now on, yeah?” Petyr grinned, and Zavraii looked up at him, smiling in thanks at the forgiveness.

“Reckon we’ve got time to grab some food quickly before your match?” Petyr looked over at Chrystal with raised and desperate eyebrows. “I am...painfully famished now.”

“Oh don’t worry about that.” Zavraii laughed and slapped him on the shoulder hard enough that Petyr winced, sore. “Go take your seat and I’ll grab it for you, just in case you’d miss it otherwise. I know your usual.”

As Zavraii gave a last smile and then made his way away, with Kirian joining him with a last smile and nod at his teammates, Sunny turned to Petyr and let out a long and heavy sigh. “So, I definitely think we need that drink.”

“Sounds like a good plan. At least I've got plenty of time to do my repairs, now that my matches are over.” Petyr nodded, stretching again and putting his arm back around Chrystal, who snuggled back into his side and kissed the side of his neck. “So I might stay for a couple of rounds longer than usual tonight.”

But, for now, the two teammates and Chrystal made their way back to the stands of the arena, slumping down as soon as they could to rest, Petyr groaning at the incredible soreness in his leg from the powerful crashing kick. “How do you do that for entire fights?”

“Training, and years of it. I’ve got muscles in places you don’t.” Chrystal grinned, flexing her own legs.

“And don’t I know it.” Petyr said quietly with a smirk, getting her to widen her eyes and gasp, before looking at him with fiery eyes.

“...I’m getting you into close combat fights more often.”

+=+=+

For the next match, Petyr spent most of it resting, happily snacking on the cheese and mushroom pasta that he’d been handed, with Chrystal making it very clear she wasn’t kissing him again whilever he had mushrooms on his breath, holding firm even when he gave her a pleading look.  
And then, it was time. Chrystal and Shina winked at the others as they stood to make their way to the preparation room, Chrystal rolling her eyes and relenting, giving Petyr a quick kiss before she left, but not before making a comment about the disgusting taste of mushrooms on his lips.

Meanwhile Velvet took Shina’s hand in hers as he stood, and gave him a soft and encouraging smile. Leaning back down to kiss her softly, Shina stroked his fingers down her cheek gently, getting lost in it until Coco kicked him in the leg from the next seat over.

“Dude, come on, priorities. No offense Velv.”

Velvet’s only response was to whine against Shina’s lips, getting Coco to roll her eyes and sit back, pushing her sunglasses up her nose dismissively. Breaking off the kiss with an amused smirk, Shina winked at Coco and got a small glare from her which turned into a small grin.

“Go get ‘em, blondie.”

Nodding, Shina kissed Velvet’s forehead one last time before stepping past, bumping fists with Yatsuhashi and Fox as he stepped past.

Coco watched as Velvet immediately and excitedly shuffled in her seat to sit up properly and attentively while brushing off the last remnants of crumbs, and she smirked in amusement, getting the bunny to blush a few moments later when she noticed.

“What??”

“I didn’t say a word, babe.” Coco sighed, stretching her arms above her before folding them behind her head and putting her feet up on the back of the seat in front of her. “Not a single one.”

Stepping into the preparation room together, Shina and Chrystal looked at each other apprehensively, not really speaking as they prepared, Chrystal strapping on her weapon harness and loading her guns, both with air bullets, which she was growing a preference for.  
Then it was a matter of waiting the twenty minutes while the arena was looked over and cleaned up for their match.  
Looking across the room, they saw Reika and Biatriss preparing themselves, talking in low voices while still looking terrified to the point Reika’s hands were visibly shaking. 

Reika was pulling on a bizarre and intricate pair of gauntlets, with what looked to be long and thin needles coming out of the knuckles. The gauntlets wrapped up around most of her arms, providing protection to the biceps.   
Meanwhile Biatriss had a pair of double-bladed shortswords, which were a complicated weapon to wield alone, let alone dual wield. It was clear both blades had an alternate form as well, Shina could see the mechanisms.

Giving each other curious looks with raised eyebrows, Chrystal let a small smile escape as they both took in RNBW’s loadout.

“This, is going to be an interesting one. And considering we missed their match, we have no idea what they can do and how they fight.”

“Meanwhile they _do_ know _us_.” Shina smiled in anticipation. “I don’t think this is going to be as simple as people think.”

The thought made Shina very curious, and he tilted his head as he looked at their competition. Being the last doubles match, they were almost the only people in the preparations room at all, the only other people were teams coming in to collect their gear, and those going into the singles occasionally coming in to do basic checks on their weapons before storing them away.  
So with just the four of them in the room, Reika and Biatriss still busy doing last checks and talking quietly, Shina couldn’t deny his excitement at the thought of clashing with the two girls. They might be jittery and anxious, but so was Petyr, and the moment he stepped into the arena he became an entirely different person. So Shina was excited to see who Reika and Biatriss became when it was time to focus and do what they were all trained to do.

Meanwhile Chrystal had mixed feelings. For the most part she was eager and excited for the same reasons that Shina was, but she also had a bit of disappointment in her stomach that this was her last match in the tournament, due to them all agreeing that Shina would be going on to the singles rounds. So this was her last time to stand in front of all the people she respected, and the rest of the world, and do what she loved most in all the world.

When she had been asked why she wanted to become a Huntress at the start of last year, it was a hard answer for her to give, because she wasn’t really sure how to word it. There was darkness in the world, and not just in the form of Grimm, but it was in people as well. And while police and guards could handle common criminals, it took a Huntsman to take down another Huntsman, and plenty of them went down dark paths. If their mystery girl, this ‘Neo’, was any indication, then it would almost certainly take a Huntsman (or four) to take her down, with common guards and police clearly not standing a chance.

She also knew that it was what she was suited for, and so she would easily be able to make the forests and cities of Vale her home, vanishing into the trees and across rooftops in search of those who needed to be stopped. But she also knew that she herself had the possibility within her of going down the wrong roads.

Fighting was fun, stealing was even funner, and the past months had made it increasingly clear to her that her impulse control lacked any sense of clear judgement or self-preservation.

So, standing in the preparation room with five minutes to go, her hands were shaking not out of anxiety, but out of anticipation. Raising her right hand to look at it, she clenched her fist tightly and then relaxed it, content that it stopped shaking as much.

It was a dangerous life. Huntsmen rarely grew old and retired healthy, so to do it and _stick_ with it you needed a reason, you needed a cause. And if it really came down to a battle of will and convictions at the end of the day, with those standing at the end being the ones who knew they were meant to be there and so were able to give it every inch of themselves for every single moment, then Chrystal felt justified in grinning at her clenched fist.

Reika and Biatriss had beaten a third-year team, a strong one, which meant there was fire and steel inside them.

Skill and Semblances could only carry you so far in a fight, and being without will and conviction came the risk of something inside of you giving up at any moment that things pushed back harder than you.

 _‘So_ _push_ _.’_ She glanced over at Reika as she thought to herself, and the girl met her eyes. _‘Push_ _hard_ _, and we’ll push back. Do that, and this is a fight that will say everything about each of us that there is to be said.’_

Something in the look in her eyes had Reika straighten up slightly and her face focus, any sign of fear and anxiety vanishing, and the girl gave her an eager and firm nod, her grip on the table tightening.

 _‘Good girl.’_ Chrystal smiled and nodded back.

The loudspeaker crackled to life to invite them out onto the field, and Chrystal gave Reika one more nod as she and Shina made their way down the corridor, the footsteps of Reika and Biatriss soon behind them. The walk felt longer than usual, and the sound of the crowd grew louder, a strange anticipation in the air due to it being the last match, an energy reinvigorating the parts of the crowd that had been there the entire day.

When they entered the arena and looked around, Shina gave a confident smile. The arena was basically full. Due to it being in the late afternoon the match was at a time where a lot of people had finished their work for the day, and many people also wanted to catch the last match of the round. So there were only a handful of seats left. Most of the teams had returned as well, the curiosity of a pair from the rather well ranked Team SKTC, going against a young and mediocrely ranked team such as Team RNBW who had somehow gotten through the Team Round, drawing in quite the interest from other competitors.

So the four of them took their places across from each other as the cameras began to circle, and while none wore smiles they were all giving each other confident and eager stares, the slightest smirk in the edge of Chrystal’s mouth while Biatriss was actively biting her lip in anticipation.

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, Shina Kamisari and Chrystal Wasara of Team SKTC from Beacon!”_

As the cameras went around, focusing on them one by one, Chrystal couldn’t help but once again wink as it focused on her, since it was maybe her last time on camera. Meanwhile when Shina came on screen his expression didn’t shift at all, nor did his stare move from where he was meeting Reika’s eyes.

_“And Ladies and Gentlemen, Reika Zaim and Biatriss Knave of Team RNBW from Beacon!”_

When the cameras focused on the two girls, both looked completely composed and confident, neither of them looking away from Shina and Chrystal to even acknowledge it. Neither Shina or Chrystal looked up at the monitors to see what their combat rankings were. And they knew that Reika and Biatriss hadn’t glanced at theirs either.  
RNBW were here to prove something, and Shina could see in their eyes that it was all that mattered to them.

But, it wasn’t like he was any different. Tightening his grip around the hilt of his blade for a few moments, he began to regulate his breathing. While Chrystal was always happy to shoot off out of a cannon, full of adrenaline, Shina was forced to exercise more control these days, ever since his Semblance had awakened only a couple of years ago.  
Back before that, he’d fought much like Chrystal did. Not surprising, considering they grew up together and trained together. But now, with a Semblance that could hurt other people too easily, and also hurt _him_ , if he let it slip...he’d been forced to completely refocus on how he approached fighting.  
So while Chrystal continued bouncing back and forth between her feet, preparing to move, instead the smile on Shina’s face faded and his eyes cooled, letting any anxiety and excitement from the world fade out and focusing only on grounding himself. Gripping into the arena ground with his feet, grinding his boots, he squeezed the hilt of his blade again, slowing his breathing further and further as he relaxed.

When he’d been asked last year why he had chosen to become a Huntsman, he knew that his answer hadn’t been satisfactory.

What else could someone like him do?

With his looks, natural physique, charisma, and natural talents and instincts for combat, he had often joked that it had been a future of either becoming a Huntsman, or start acting in movies. But the moment he had first touched a blade, his father’s old one, he knew which one he was meant to be doing.

Not everyone is born with a destiny, or with something they are perfectly suited to do.

But some people were, and he was one of them.

He still wasn’t entirely sure about whether or not he was a good team leader, or even whether or not he had any place _having_ the role, but when it was just himself and Chrystal, and just himself in the singles rounds, that didn’t matter anymore.

From here on out, it was just him and what he could do.

And what he wanted to show.

Sometimes, even when you already know you have a destiny, you still need to prove it.

Glancing next to him, he and Chrystal met eyes, and she gave him a confident and trusting look and a small smile. Nodding and smiling back, he looked forward again and rolled his shoulders, his eyes moving to the biome screens as they rolled for their match;

Urban and mountain.

While urban was something they could work with, the mountain biome would require a very specific sort of fight which he wasn’t expecting from their opponents. And judging from how Reika and Biatriss seemed to have quietly dismissed both biomes entirely, they clearly had similar opinions.

_“Huntsmen, take your positions!”_

After thinking for a moment, Chrystal drew her right blade, but rested her left hand on the grip of her left pistol in consideration, unclipping the holster and flicking off the safety before sliding it out slowly and still in thought as she looked at their two opponents, before more confidently bringing it up at the ready with her blade. Meanwhile Shina simply slid his right foot back and put his right hand on the hilt of his sword on his back, keeping his left arm extended in front of him as balance.

Reika dropped into a low stance, practically a crouch, putting one arm extended in front of her while the other wrapped behind her back to keep out of the way. Biatriss took a strange stance with her dual-bladed shortswords, keeping one in front of her and the other behind her as she took a running stance.

_“Ready! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4...3...2...1!”_

When Chrystal and Reika didn’t hesitate for a moment before dashing for each other, both of them zeroed in on each other and blocked out the other two. Just before they reached each other, Chrystal fired an air round at the ground beneath the girl’s feet to knock her off balance before bringing her blade around to slice the girl while she stumbled in her run. Only for her blade to pass straight through her.

The moment she had run straight through, she had to drop to her knees and lean back entirely in a slide as some form of ranged attack passed through where her torso had just been. Glancing up, she saw two Reika’s standing in front of her, with the one she had passed through still behind her.

One of the Reika’s in front of her seemed to glimmer for a split instant before raising a wrist and firing again, the same strange ammunition, which Chrystal realised was completely silent except for the slightest whistling sound, had to be dodged again. The same Reika then glimmered once again, and Chrystal’s mind screamed at her to spin and block, bringing her blade up just in time to block a slash from the Reika that, only a few moments ago, had been intangible.

Widening her eyes in a mixture of surprise and suspicion, it was immediately confirmed as the Reika she had just missed glimmered, Chrystal’s counterattack passing straight through it, before Chrystal then immediately had to bring her blade around behind her to deflect more of the silent ammunition that weren’t bullets, yet shattered on impact with her blade.

In the time she’d been distracted by the two, the third Reika had closed the distance on her left side, the one open to close attack due to having her gun in it, and Chrystal had only a split moment to fire at her in order for Reika to be forced to abandon the attack and turn that version of herself intangible.

_“With Reika’s immediate deployment of her bewildering Doppelganger Semblance, will the impossibly fast Chrystal be able to keep up with the unpredictable assault??”_

Bouncing on her feet, Chrystal found it hard to keep all three Reikas in her perception at all times, the other girl making sure to have all three versions of herself constantly on the move, darting in and out and bouncing from one to the other.

But each time she did, Chrystal was figuring out her pattern more and more. Problem was, Reika was also figuring out _hers._

It became a dance fast enough and unpredictable enough that the audience were having trouble keeping up with what was happening, as the different versions of Reika were constantly shimmering back and forth, the glimmer passing from one to the other.

_‘This is bad. She’s used to being unpredictable, but she’s not quite fast enough to get me. But with how fast she can switch around to which version of herself is real, I don’t stand much chance of hitting her either.’_

Chrystal mulled to herself, thoughts and strategies flying through her mind in a rapid stream as she blocked another slice and then immediately had to deflect another volley. Reika’s strange gauntlets fired four shots at the same time, it was easy to deflect with her blade but with how calm Reika seemed to be about firing them Chrystal was concerned about it.

Spinning her pistol in her hand, she bounced on her feet before waiting as the Reika determined to be in melee darted in for another attack, before she quickly brought her gun up and fired two rapid shots, one at each of the ranged Reika’s, forcing the girl to quickly switch to the doppelganger in melee in order to escape the damage. But she did so just as it reached Chrystal’s range, and immediately got a slice from Chrystal’s blade along her gut, causing her bright blue aura to crackle and she rolled, sprawling to the ground. Such a solid hit did decent damage to her aura, and Chrystal realised that the girl’s aura was almost as weak as her own.

Which was promising. This would only take a couple of counterattacks.

The problem was getting those attacks in.

Chrystal didn’t bother to try and attack again, seeing the telltale glimmer out of the corner of her eye as Reika switched back at range.

The melee Reika backed off, the girl clearly realising and accepting that Chrystal had figured out her pattern, and Chrystal was forced to watch as the three Reika’s formed a triangle around her. Suspecting what was coming, she immediately holstered her pistol and drew her second blade, flourishing them both in her hands.

Looking around at the three of them, she narrowed her eyes to try and find _any_ way to distinguish which one was the real one at any given time besides from when they glimmered, and she got her answer when the eyes of one of them shimmered blue for a moment as Reika brought up her aura in preparation for something, all three Reika’s raising both their wrists to aim their gauntlets at Chrystal.

Then they began to shimmer. Rapidly. Reika stayed in each doppelganger barely a moment before switching to the next one at a speed that had Chrystal struggling to keep up. Speeding up her breathing and bringing her blades up, she knew it was coming when each Reika began to fire.

The spray of silent attack was relentless from every angle, and Chrystal was forced to deflect and dodge at a speed she rarely pushed herself to as every inch of herself was aimed at, the shots coming constantly as Reika continued to switch from one to the other just in time to fire after the new shot for that Reika loaded into her wrists.

It was a relentless assault and Chrystal wasn’t surprised when, eventually, her thigh stung as something stuck into it.

Hissing in pain, she tossed her blades into the air and drew her pistols, firing a rapid barrage of air bullets around herself in a constant stream until all three Reika’s were sprawled out on the floor.

Sliding her pistols away and catching her blades as they dropped, she looked down at her thigh and blinked at the thin glass needle sticking out of it. Reaching down, she yanked it out from the insanely clean wound, the needle having such a fine point that the sheer finesse of the shot had it puncturing straight through her aura and armour. Even before she raised it to her eyes she felt slightly woozy, and glancing at the needle she saw the last drop of some sort of poison come out from inside of it.

_‘Holy shit. That’s...that’s bad.’_

Shaking her head to clear it as the three Reika’s all kicked up to their feet, she sheathed her left blade and pulled her pistol again, clearing the distance to one of the Reika’s and firing the two shots at the others. Half-expecting it, her blade went straight through the one she tried to slice as Reika instead stayed in another one to take the bullet to get a volley off at Chrystal, who deflected it with relative ease. She wasn’t surprised when she felt herself moving slightly slower than normal, the toxin making her ever so slightly lethargic as her aura burned through it as quickly as it could.

It was only a matter of time before another needle got through, and the more needles that _did_ get through, the more that _would_ , and eventually she’d be driven to a nauseous collapse.

 _‘That is...fucking malicious.’_ She nodded to herself as she grinned around at all three Reika’s. _‘I love it.’_

She was right. For every counterattack that got through to Reika, she eventually started to pay for it by taking another needle. By the time that four in total had hit her, she was feeling scarily heavy, but Reika’s aura was looking terrible. The needles weren’t doing much damage to her aura on their own, but she could tell the vicious end to Reika’s sort of assault;

Cold execution once she was dropped on the ground from the toxin.

Eventually she had no choice but to finally retreat into one of the biomes, ducking inside one of the broken houses of the urban biome to take a breath.

_“And with the conflict between Reika and Chrystal closing in on the vital final few clashes, Chrystal retreats off the central arena, Reika’s toxin taking its usual toll. Could this finally be the end of Chrystal’s infamous Wind Dance?”_

_“We will see, Peter! Chrystal Wasara’s Wind Dance has made her defenses almost completely untouchable in combat since her arrival at Beacon Academy, but it is not perfect! It may allow her to dodge_ _anything _ _, but it is impossible to dodge_ _everything! _ _”_

_“Quite right Doctor. And with Shina and Biatriss clashing, this fight is brought down to two single matches. These last few moments between Reika and Chrystal will be remembered by each of them forever!”_

_‘Yeah you’re not wrong. This sucks.’_ Chrystal thought to herself as she ducked through another window to dodge a volley of needles, hearing them smash against the rock. Thinking as hard as she could about what to do, knowing that one more volley from Reika would be enough to slow her down for good, she closed her eyes.

The speed of her Semblance was failing, ground combat was increasingly no longer an option.

So...she had to take this battle to somewhere Reika couldn’t stop her from going.

Clicking her tongue and shrugging, she slid both of her blades home and drew her pistols, spinning them in her hands and checking their ammo, quickly reloading them both with her extra air bullet magazines.

She was going to take more needles for this, but it could get Reika out of the match too.

Bouncing to her feet, she ducked out of the way of the spray of needles and bravely used her enhanced agility to cleanly jump up on top of the urban ruins, glancing around and locating the three Reika’s even as the three of them fired at her. Ducking and dodging out of the way, she managed to avoid them all as she located all three.

Taking a moment to bring her aura up and put it into her legs as much as she could, she shrugged to herself.

_‘Well, what the hell, here goes nothing.’_

Pushing off with all her might, the enhanced agility which could easily bring her to third story windows was pushed even further with the full might and concentration into her aura, and she shot impossibly high into the air, spinning around so she was looking at the ground. Wincing when six needles pierced into her flesh, she aimed down and proceeded to cover the entire urban landscape in a blasting spray of explosive ammunition.

With nowhere to go and no safe doppelganger to switch to, Reika couldn’t evade the assault as Chrystal completely emptied both magazines as she dropped back down to the ground, managing to enter a roll and safely land despite her slowness.

_“With the sort of agile combat that Chrystal Wasara is known for in the arena, Reika’s Aura has dropped below the 15% threshold and has been eliminated! But with such a heavy dose of toxin in her bloodstream, can Chrystal’s aura fight it off in time for her to assist her partner?”_

It was a good question, as Chrystal felt the concentrated toxin of all six needles at once hit her system and she dropped to the ground, her vision swimming as she laid there and her eyes fluttering as her muscles almost entirely went to sleep.  
As she laid completely heavy, she realised that if Reika had used a different type of poison she’d be dead, not just tranquilised.

Wishing she could smile in amazed satisfaction, she accepted that if it was a real fight...she would have lost.

Closing her eyes, she let her aura fight, but she was pretty certain she wouldn’t be getting up before things on the other side of the arena had finished up.  
Meanwhile, the other clash had been going similarly.

The moment the horn had gone off to start the fight, Shina and Biatriss had shot for each other without restraint or any deception, Shina bringing his blade around in his usual disconcerting curved slices even as Biatriss spun on her foot in a unique whirling maneuver as her blades spun constantly, the girl a tornado of slicing blade edges. The arena had immediately been battered by the constant scream of steel against steel as blades had clashed, both of them moving at a speed that could almost be described as a blur.

Eventually they both broke off, each of them having taken scratches, and as Shina took up a guard Biatriss shifted from her whirlwind stance into a more defensive one, the two of them circling each other slowly as Shina opened up the First Cut.

That first clash had made it impossibly clear that he was going to need it. Biatriss was _fast_ , and double-bladed weapons were hard to keep track of just in general, let alone having to deal with an opponent who used one in each hand.

Four blade edges to keep track of, and Biatriss knew what she was doing.

They clashed again, this time Biatriss on the back foot as Shina’s enhanced speed got through her whirling defenses more often, and she got through his less. The girl’s eyes narrowed as she dissected what was going on with him, and he saw as she raised her eyebrows, something clearly having clicked.

So, the girl was clever.

Biatriss broke off the clash again, hopping a few steps back to reconsider her options again, and Shina let her, staying on his guard.

If his fight with Lillian had taught him anything, it was that relentlessly pushing against an opponent whose strength you don’t fully understand was a great way to end up breaking against them. So he stayed on his guard as Biatriss practically circled him like a shark.

The First Cut was easy to maintain these days, even since the time in the caves it had gotten easier to sustain, and the drain on his aura was minimal, so he felt confident staying in it as he let Biatriss strategise.

Eventually she seemed to come to a decision, and she approached him again, but not with the rapid whirlwind style she had been using up to that point. This one was seemingly more direct, and her attacks were easy to block and deflect, right up until there was a moment when their swords met...and his went directly through hers, her body and blade looked slightly different for a few moments before the moment _just_ as their swords passed through each other, when she shimmered back to normal and her blade cut along his ribs, causing him to spin away.

Narrowing his eyes, it was his turn to think, but she didn’t seem interested in letting him, as she was immediately on him again. This time when her blade became intangible and went through his, he twisted out of the way to bring his blade down, and it moved straight through her and came out the other side without damaging her aura. But it wasn’t like she was turning into a ghost or an illusion, he felt _some_ resistance, but barely any.

The moment his blade was through her, she turned back to normal and spun for him.

With each block and clash and counter, she was turning intangible and back at rapid speeds, able to have it so her blade passed right through his block, solidified again to strike him, and then she turned back intangible for his counter to go straight through her and out the other side without hurting her.

Bringing his blade up to study it after the fifth clash, he noticed a strange shine on it, but he didn’t have time to think about it before she was pushing him, not giving him time to study it and think on it.

While she wasn’t half as fast as Lillian, and her offense wasn’t as strong as his own, it didn’t need to be. Her Semblance, _whatever_ it was, had a rapid activating and deactivation speed, so she was able to simply pass through blocks that otherwise would have stopped her, and negate attacks that got through her own defenses.

And she was damn good at using it, whittling away at his aura. Doing _barely_ any damage, but it was consistent.

Bouncing back and retreating away from her, Shina grit his teeth as he glanced across the arena at Reika and Chrystal clashing, before his attention went back to Biatriss and he took a few rapid breaths, amazed he was pushed this far already.

But he needed the extra time to figure out what was going on.

So, with another deep breath, his skin paled and his features seemed to sharpen further, the gold in his eyes becoming more pronounced, as he pushed through to the Second Cut, things around him seeming to slow down as his reflexes went into overdrive. While it wasn’t complete slow motion, it was enough that he had an extra second or two with each attack and block, and those seconds added up fast in a swift combat like he was experiencing.

Biatriss figured out almost instantly that the rules of the game had changed again, but she wasn’t sure _what_ was different as he was able to dodge attacks that only a few seconds ago would have gotten him. But instead of getting frustrated like a lot of opponents would have, she instead looked _fascinated_ , and that was more dangerous.

Finally, he saw what he was looking for, his blade going straight through her as she turned intangible and he saw as tiny drops of _something_ came out of her when his blade emerged. Bringing his sword back to study it, he had an extra moment to study the sheen on it.

Widening his eyes, he raised an eyebrow at just how complicated his problem was;

She was able to turn herself into liquid. And she was able to do it _fast._

 _‘That is one hell of a Semblance to deal with.’_

Backing up a few paces, Biatriss let him, wanting time to study him as well to dissect what had changed in him yet again.

Going back to circling each other, he didn’t take his eyes off of her for a moment as his mind fired off.

 _‘Every Semblance has a weakness. She’s able to do it extremely fast, almost too fast to see, so it’s not its speed. She doesn’t lose any of her liquid mass when I hit her, so it’s not like I can just hit her until she doesn’t have enough mass left to turn into liquid.’_ Flourishing his blade, he brought it back in front of himself as a guard as the two of them continued circling and staring, ignoring the sounds of gunfire and steel from across the arena.

 _‘Okay, think.’_ Shina grit his teeth, before frowning in thought when he saw Biatriss flourish her own blades and keep them on guard. _‘She uses incredibly fast weapons, but insanely complicated ones, designed to get fights over and done quickly. Designed to get_ _clashes_ _over and done quickly. Okay, I need to check something.’_

A theory in mind as he watched her move, and thought over the past moments of the fight, Shina shot forward with every bit of his enhanced speed and crashed into her, his sword locking onto both of hers before she had a moment to consider anything besides blocking on reflex. Just as he expected she activated her Semblance and he passed through her, but instead of coming out the other side he made sure to keep his blade inside of her liquid form, scrutinising what she would do.

When she tried to disengage, he followed. Again and again, and he watched as her eyes grew increasingly desperate before she finally managed to drop and roll away, turning back to normal and immediately gasping in a deep breath.  
Shina’s eyes widened and his face steeled as his theory was confirmed;  
While in liquid form, she couldn’t breathe. She was holding her breath as if she was swimming underwater.

Could she drown on her own Semblance?

Humming to himself in thought, he was immediately on the defensive as Biatriss spun for him, going back to her fearsome whirlwind style and clearly trying to stop him having time to analyse and figure it out, but from the look in her eyes it was clear she had accepted that he already knew, and from the way her eyes glanced up at the screen he suspected she had figured out his own weakness.

This battle ended in her favour if she dragged it out.

Each time they clashed, he was able to hold her into liquid form for longer and longer bursts by keeping either his blade or eventually even his fists inside of her, eventually getting a solid hit as he kept his hand inside her long enough she was writhing in the desperation to breathe, before he withdrew it for her to turn back solid to cough and heave and he brought his blade solidly along her back, sending her sprawling.

But his aura was dropping as well, they were even and he _needed_ to inflict severe damage on her each and every time he got a hit in.

Because she was going to start figuring it out too, and she’d think of something. She was a strategist, he’d been able to tell from the start.

He had to end this in the next hit or two.

Glancing around in frustration, watching his own aura drop as he kept pushing her and pushing her, he growled.

_‘Dammit. Well, here goes. This is going to really hurt.’_

Unlike the first two cuts, which he ‘unlocked’, the third one had to be pushed, and he grit his teeth savagely as he forced himself into it, his features turning even more inhuman as his hair began to shimmer and black rings appeared around the gold in his eyes. His legs and arms started to ache and scream at him at the pressure suddenly being put on them, but he got what he needed.

Keeping his hand inside of her during the clash, his even further enhanced speed allowed him to once again push her to the point of almost drowning, before he withdrew it, put both hands on the hilt of his blade, and slamming it into a slice in her again solid back with enough force the arena floor beneath them cracked and she was sent flying across the arena, slamming into one of the out of bounds walls at such a speed that a boom echoed through the air of the stadium. Shina closed all three cuts as quickly as possible, but not before he felt his arms fracture from the strain of the swing.

_“With an extreme push of his Semblance, knowing he needed to end the bout in one final assault, Shina has driven Biatriss out of bounds and brought her aura below the 15% threshold! A double knockout! Biatriss is eliminated!”_

Nodding in satisfaction, agonised satisfaction, Shina watched as an extremely lethargic Chrystal stumbled her way out of the urban biome, and he quickly went over for her to lean on his shoulder. His arms were in agony, but he had enough aura left that they were starting to heal. Supporting Chrystal in their limping to the center of the arena as the crowd roared at the incredible end to a dangerously close match, Shina and Chrystal tiredly looked around at everyone with nearly broken grins.

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, with both members of Team RNBW out of the fight, Team SKTC wins and goes through to the Singles rounds!”_

Officially announced, the crowd properly roared, many sections rising to their feet in congratulations and awe at a match so close and ruthless that the arena itself had suffered from it, with shattered glass everywhere from Reika’s needles, cracks in the floor from Shina’s final swing, and substantial damage to the urban biome from Chrystal’s air bullet barrage.  
Shina was relieved to lose the weight when Kylar hopped down into the arena and scooped up Chrystal in his arms, meanwhile Tacita joined them to help get him to the preparation room, massive smiles on both of their faces even as Kylar looked down at Chrystal in concern. She gave him a grin and an exhausted thumbs up before practically passing out in his arms.

Getting to the back room, plenty of people had come to congratulate them, and when Kylar laid Chrystal down on one of the benches he wasn’t surprised when Petyr was immediately by her side, with Alice from LAVA joining him to check her over with her training as a medic, quickly satisfied that there would be no lasting damage and it would wear off.  
Slumping down onto a bench himself, Shina winced in agony as he felt his arms slowly and sorely repairing themselves. The fractures were decent, but they weren’t proper breakages, so they would likely be healed by the time of the singles matches starting the next night.

But all the same, they hurt. If he’d had to use a swing in the Third Cut a second time, he had little doubt they’d be properly broken, as well as his shoulders.

As Tacita knelt down in front of him to give him a quick check-over herself, she shook her head in baffled amusement at him. “I thought you were saving that for the singles?”

“I…” He nodded, glancing over to where Biatriss was being properly checked over by arena medics. “I respect her enough to use it. She deserved my best, because by the gods she gave hers.”

Pausing for a moment as she considered his answer, Tacita smiled slightly and leant up to kiss his cheek in appreciation and fondness, unsure what to say to convey it, before she stepped up and out of the way for Velvet to immediately take her place checking over her boyfriend.

Chrystal was soon able to stand, albeit with help from Petyr, and she made her way over to where Reika was resting, covered in bruises. As Chrystal approached, Reika gave her a tired smile and exhausted wave.

“Hey...that was awesome.” Reika gave an adrenaline fuelled giggle, and Chrystal smiled back at her.

“It was. You’re..that was amazing, Reika.” Chrystal nodded, before giving her a serious look. “I just wanted to congratulate you.”

“On what? You guys won.” Reika frowned, tilting her head, but making sure to convey that she wasn’t sour and there were no hard feelings.

“You beat me, Reika.” Chrystal gave her a respectful and proud look, offering her hand. “I knew it the moment you hit me with the first needle.”

Pausing for a moment in bewilderment and embarrassed shock, Reika shakily stood in pain before reaching out and taking Chrystal’s hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “I...thank you.”

“You’re incredible. If you guys ever want to train, or even just hang out, you hit us up, okay? I may need your help improving my speed sometime.” Chrystal smiled warmly, squeezing her hand back before dropping it and giving the girl a brief hug, internally smirking at the shy and shocked blush that went through Reika’s face.

“I...I would love that. I would be more than happy to.”

“Me too. But, for now, I need a nap. I am sure you are unsurprised to know that I am currently very, very tired.” Chrystal smirked, and Reika blushed again before shrugging cheekily and innocently in response.

“Sleep well.”

As Petyr helped Chrystal limp back to the others, eventually all of Team SKTC plopped down together, word of encouragement and congratulations coming from their friends in a constant stream with Yang utterly disappointed when she realised Shina couldn’t fist bump without messing up his arms further.

“That was spectacular, you two.” Pyrrha gave a wide smile, her hands crossed in front of her as she looked at Shina with a raised eyebrow. “How long have you been able to do that? I’ve never seen that from you before.”

“...a year. Round about.” Shina grinned, before grinning wider when she raised her eyebrow higher in response. “Always good to keep an ace up your sleeve.”

“I suppose so. Well, now I know to look out for it in the fights to come. Any more aces I should be concerned about?” Pyrrha asked with a smile, before reaching down and gently placing her hand on Shina’s shoulder in congratulations.

“Maybe.”

She hummed in amused thought before turning to Chrystal and smiling, her eyes shining widely. “You did fantastic, Chrystal.”

“Thanks, Pyrrha.” She smiled tiredly, managing to sit up and fist bump Yang, looking back to Pyrrha after. “It’s Shina in the singles, so you don’t get to fight me yet. But reckon I’m good enough for us to have a proper go sometime?”

“I never doubted it, I have always wanted you to ask.” Pyrrha chuckled with a warm smile and a fond nod. “But absolutely. It’s a plan.”

As their friends moved on one by one, and Kylar’s parents did the same, eventually it was just SKTC as they swung by the armory for Shina and Chrystal to put their weapons into their lockers on Tacita’s insistence, which they were too tired to question. 

They made their way back to their dorm, Chrystal immediately flopping on her bed without the strength to even take her boots off, while Shina sat down tenderly and laid down as well, managing to remove his boots and the top layer of his armour.

“That...was amazing.” Chrystal tiredly giggled, the post-fight adrenaline and the poison still in her system battling it out to decide her mood. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had in a fight. Ever.”

“It was certainly a close one.” Kylar nodded in agreement, turning on the tv and amused but unsurprised that it was coverage and analysis of their fight. “Reika and Biatriss certainly proved to be surprises.”

“Pleasant ones.” Tacita nodded as she laid down on Kylar’s bed and closed her eyes. “Are you prepared for tomorrow, Shina?”

“Once my arms fix up, I will be.” Shina gave a smile up at the roof with his eyes closed, content to doze off and rest. “But in truth? I wouldn’t have been so disappointed to see Reika shine in the singles either.”

Nodding in agreement, Tacita was more than aware of the sheer potential and skill that had come to light in the arena during the tournament. It had been a fascinating few days.

And a stressful few weeks.

Sighing to herself quietly in thought, her mind couldn’t help but wander back to her thoughts earlier in the day. She’d voice her concerns to the others, but not until Shina and Chrystal got their rest.

Tomorrow would be a full day of Shina getting in last minute training, all of them pushing him to their limit. Lillian had agreed to help as well, which was going to be spectacular to watch.

But Tacita knew she was going to steal them all for a few moments, and not just her three teammates. SPKZ, CULD, maybe even LAVA.

It was time to widen the circle of trust.

With only a handful of days to go, something had to be brewing, close to boiling point, and she knew it. The others knew it too.

But for tonight it was another victory, and a well fought one.

So, feeling her own mind going sluggish as the droning of the tv lulled her to sleep, she was content to rest.

One more night of respite.

As Kylar kissed the top of her head, she could hear the rhythmic breathing of both Chrystal and Shina already fast asleep. Smiling to herself, she snuggled deeper into Kylar’s chest, and allowed herself to drift off as well.

Looking down at his sleeping girlfriend, Kylar smiled fondly and glanced over at his two other teammates. They’d done amazingly, and he couldn’t be more proud.

But, closing his eyes, tomorrow would be the day they’d harvest the fruits of their labour and victory.

It was time for tonight to be done.

Turning off the tv without opening his eyes, he put the remote on his bedside table, and drifted off asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God we're SO close to the Battle Of Beacon, meaning we're so close to the end of this story, heading into Part 2.
> 
> We're so close to getting there. This story is twice the length of the first Hunger Games book and we're not at the Battle Of Beacon yet.  
> I'm so sorry. I PROMISE we're getting there. It's like two chapters away.


	17. The End Of The Thread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Logan and Tesse wrestle with the morality of Ozpin's plan for their son, everything SKTC has attempted and done comes to fruition as they reach the end of their thread of clues and the last pieces of the puzzle click into place.  
> With Cinder's plan figured out, and Neo's place in it exposed, SKTC and their allies are forced to rush into making their last preparations for the fight they know is coming.  
> But as Pyrrha and Penny face each other off in the finals, Team SKTC could never have predicted the horrifying way that what they've been fearing will begin.

The underground chamber beneath the tower of Beacon was silent except for the humming of the machine sustaining Amber’s life, the twin capsules that would soon be used to transfer the remnants of the girl’s power to Pyrrha Nikos, if the girl agreed when Ozpin finally asked her Standing in front of the capsules, holding hands softly, Logan and Tesse quietly looked at the girl while lost in their own thoughts.  
While Logan’s face was set, only his eyes sad, Tesse looked completely grief-stricken as she looked at the comatose young girl who she’d met only a few weeks into the girl inheriting the powers that had led to her being like...this.

Amber was young, and gentle. Too gentle for the sort of life she was forced to live without having any choice in the matter.

Looking over at her husband, she wasn’t entirely sure what he was thinking about, but she had her suspicions. Tonight the first singles match for the Vytal Tournament would begin, and Pyrrha Nikos had every chance of stepping into the arena and fighting alone, something she had done numerous times in the past, but this time she would be doing it with a far heavier burden on her mind than she deserved to suffer.

But she wasn’t the only one. Shina would be there too.

Chances are the boy had no way of knowing it but there were eyes on him now, and not just those simply interested in the tournament. Logan and Tesse were watching him. Ozpin, Ironwood, Glynda, and now Qrow, were all watching him. And Tesse didn’t want to imagine just which members of the forces they were up against had started looking at the boy as well.  
What sort of tests the boy might be passing, or failing, while he was simply fighting for recognition, and also to prove to himself that he was right in what he believed was his destiny.

“She’s only a few years older than they are.” Logan spoke quietly, his face finally softening and going sad as he looked at Amber, letting out a sigh and thinning his lips.

Looking over at her husband, she nodded, keeping her voice just as soft as his. “Yes. It’s always the young, my love. We were young too.”

“Not _that_ young. Not as young as she was when she inherited.”

“No, perhaps not.” Tesse frowned, squeezing his hand. “But I imagine that if he’d needed us sooner, he would have asked us for help when we _were_ younger.”

“That’s...not comforting.” Logan sighed, shaking his head and looking down at the ground for a moment. It wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking about.

They both looked at Amber again for another few minutes, content to think through their own thoughts. Logan was the one who broke the silence again.

“Do you think Rowena is still the Spring Maiden?”

“My hope is that she is, and that she’s simply lost her way and can be found.” Tesse spoke softly, almost sadly, as she then shook her head. “But we have no way of knowing.”

“And with Fria as old as she is...we’re three maidens down.” Logan nodded.

Dropping Tesse’s hand to step forward and place his hand on Amber’s capsule gently, Logan looked sadly at the girl before stepping back again and turning away, beginning to pace back and forth across the chamber slowly with his eyes closed in thought and a somber expression on his face. Watching him for a few moments, Tesse gave him a heavy look before turning back to Amber, almost as if just looking at the girl for long enough would wake her up, despite having no chance of happening.  
But, silent hopes are strange things. The ones we don’t even realise we’re mindlessly and aimlessly fighting for.

The distant sound of the elevator coming down caught both of their attention, and Logan stopped in his pacing before glancing over at Tesse.

“They’re bringing her.”

“That’s early. I was intending on us being gone by then.” Tesse sighed, shaking her head in sad frustration. “I don’t envy the girl for what she’s about to see. For what they’re about to put in front of her and ask her.”

“Would you like to leave for it?”

“I’m...not sure. Perhaps with us here, the others will be more...gentle, with it.” Tesse winced, not even really convincing herself, but she simply went back to looking at Amber. “Once introduced to us, we’re going to be asking her to keep a secret from our own son.”

“...for now.”

Logan’s reply was quiet, but firm, and Tesse turned on her foot to look over at where he was standing off to the side with his arms crossed and a determined but heavy look on his face as he regarded Amber.

“You’ve decided to agree with Ozpin.” Tesse didn’t even both phrase it as a question, she knew her husband too well.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of footsteps growing closer cut him off, and he looked back down the chamber to where the expected group were approaching. Tesse had very much not wanted to be here for this, and while she _wanted_ to simply slip away to leave them to it, she worried that would lead to complications.

So, she went back to looking at Amber, taking in the few moments she could get to mourn for the young girl she had been so fond of and so worried for. Worries which had clearly been warranted.

“Ah, Logan, Tesse, I wasn’t sure whether you would come visit her.”

When Ozpin spoke, Tesse slowly turned and stepped to the side to regard the group that had escorted the terrified looking Pyrrha down below to the chamber, and she made sure to give the girl a small warm smile before shooting a glare to the clearly drunk Qrow, a glare which was met with a dismissive raised eyebrow from the man.

“Apologies, Ozpin. We had intended on leaving before you spoke to Miss Nikos. We won’t get in your way.” Tesse nodded at Ozpin and stepped away to join Logan, who had straightened up.

Logan gave Pyrrha a steadying and reassuring look. “Miss Nikos, congratulations on your success in the tournament so far. I’m Logan Goroesi, this is my wife Tesse.”

“Kylar’s parents, yes. I saw you with him at the bar when my team and I swung by to congratulate them on their victory.” 

Pyrrha gave as polite and confident a smile and nod as she could, but her nervousness at the situation robbed it of the posture she’d normally put into it. When Logan offered his hand for her to shake, she hesitated for only a moment before taking it and gripping firmly.

“Logan, Tesse, will you be joining us for this? You both know quite a bit about the Maidens, given your history. You might be able to provide Miss Nikos some enlightenment.” Ozpin asked curiously, wording it in such a way that was clearly a request for them to stay, but his tone said that he would accept it if they left.

“No, no. We’ll be on our way. I think having even more people crowding around her will simply make Miss Nikos here more nervous.” Logan gave Ozpin a nod before giving Pyrrha a firm and confident look. “Miss Nikos, if you say no, then no-one will hold it against you, and you and your team will change the world. If you say yes, you won’t be going through a moment of it alone.”

Unsure what to say in response, Pyrrha merely gave a meek nod in thanks as Logan turned to start walking away. As Logan continued to make his way towards the elevator, Tesse stepped in to speak to the girl, shooting glares at both Qrow and Ironwood when the two men’s impatience almost made them speak up.

This time, her glare _was_ enough to get Qrow to blink first.

“Pyrrha…my son Kylar does not yet know about the Maidens. It is a secret he _will_ be let in on _eventually_ , but not yet. However, if you do say yes, we will tell him, and he will likely tell his team, so that you will have someone on your side even outside of your own team.”

“Tesse, as admirable an offer as that is…” Ozpin went to object in his normal calm and collected way, but she simply raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed and nodded.

“Due to my husband’s Semblance, we have assisted in the training of both the last Spring Maiden, Rowena, and also Amber when she was first chosen. We’ll be here for you too. But on the other hand…” She gave Ozpin and Ironwood steady looks for a moment, before smiling to Pyrrha gently. “If you say no, then there is no cause for you to feel any sort of guilt. We’ve watched Team JNPR in action, and my son has told me a lot about you and your team. As you are right now, the four of you will be a true force for good.”

“...thank you, Miss Goroesi.” Pyrrha spoke quietly, but there was a certain degree of relief in her eyes, a small part of the weight had vanished, and Tesse gave her a soft smile.

“Ask them as many questions as you need answered. And if _they_ don’t answer them…” Her eyes shot to Ozpin for a moment, and only he could see the steel that flashed in her eyes for a second before she looked back to Pyrrha. “Then Logan and I will. Simply tell Kylar you wish to speak to us. Good luck in the tournament.”

Giving Pyrrha one last smile, she placed her hand on the girl’s arm reassuringly for a moment, before following Logan back towards the elevator, resisting the urge to look back over her shoulder when she heard Ozpin start to explain the situation to the poor girl. Reaching where Logan was waiting for her, he raised his eyebrows at her in question and she simply sighed and stepped in with him, hitting the button to return to the ground floor.

“Okay.”

Blinking at his wife’s voice, Logan looked over at where she was standing, staring straight ahead with her jaw set and her eyes walled and firm. She looked over at him and gave a resigned nod. “Ozpin can send them on his mission.”

“What changed your mind?”

“That girl is going to need as many allies as she can get.” She stepped out of the elevator the moment the doors opened, and she didn’t look over at him as she spoke. “And I trust Shina and his team _far_ more than I trust the people currently down there with her.”

+=+=+

Watching as Shina benched in the gym in the mid-afternoon, his arms having healed overnight, Chrystal took a bite out of her sandwich with a frown. It had been one hell of a tournament so far, and the doubles round had been closer than any of them had been expecting. And there was no point or dignity in claiming RNBW were some sort of exception considering how hard LAVA had been as well. So despite her complete confidence in Shina, Chrystal couldn’t help but mull over their competition.

She was broken out of her thinking, and he was interrupted from his workout, when both of their scrolls blipped with messages. Giving each other raised eyebrows, Chrystal grabbed hers first.

_“Dorm, please. Urgent. - Tacita.”_

Frowning, Chrystal stood and quickly finished the rest of her sandwich before throwing her jacket back around herself, Shina catching up to her by the gym door. Quickly making their way back to the dorm, they arrived only a few moments after Kylar did, the door still open, and Chrystal closed and locked it behind her the moment they entered.  
Tacita was sitting on her bed deep in thought, the Neo folder next to her, along with their massive journal with all the notes they took from their mission, along with all the clues they’d gathered so far on everything they’d been investigating and keeping careful note of.  
Tacita looked up at the three of them and sighed, patting the journal on her lap and biting her bottom lip as she worded what she wanted to say.

“I’ve spent the morning reading over everything we know, again and again. We’re running out of time to do anything about any of it.”

“We’re going to get to it after the tournament, that was the plan.” Shina pulled his gym shirt over his head and began to get dressed into more casual clothes. But even though he wasn’t looking at any of them, they could all hear how empty the words he said sounded. They were all growing more and more paranoid and anxious.

“I don’t know if we have that long.”   
Tacita said softly and sadly, before explaining her thoughts from the previous few days, including her paranoia about Cinder and her team, and her near-certainty that it was all going to come to a head before the tournament was over. Finally, she brought up her desire to tell some of the others, and she was expecting the silence that answered.

Humming in thought to himself, Kylar sat on the edge of his bed and leaned forward, his arms in his lap. “Who would we tell?”

“I’m not sure. Team SPKZ, definitely. Maybe CULD.”

“SPKZ I can agree on.” Kylar nodded, before hesitating. “But maybe not CULD.”

Looking towards him in defensiveness for her friends, Chrystal frowned. “Why not?”

“Cypher is a part of this already, in some capacity. I know that. But neither Ursa or Lelise are known for their discretion or patience. And to be quite honest, I don’t trust Delilah.” Kylar answered firmly, giving Chrystal a steady look, and she met his gaze with a glare that eventually faded, and she looked away.

“If things get any larger, we tell them. We’ll need Cypher in on things entirely.” Chrystal insisted, demanding at least _that_ compromise. She didn’t want to leave her ex girlfriend in the dark any more than she had to.

“I agree on SPKZ too.” Shina spoke up as he finished getting dressed, laying out his armour for the tournament that night. “Frankly -I- wasn’t far off asking whether we can tell them or not.”

“Alright. Anyone else?” Crossing her arms, Tacita sat back against her headboard, looking around at the others.

“RWBY and JNPR?” Chrystal offered, but didn’t seem that put out when Shina shook his head.

“They know almost everything we do, and they’re aiming at their own targets. We can’t ask them to fight two battles.”

“What about LAVA?” Raising her eyebrows, Chrystal was questioning it even as she asked it, but it was worth putting out in the air.

“We barely know them. I like them, sure.” Shina shrugged, but he looked at the others, and both Kylar and Tacita seemed to agree with him. “But we don’t know them.”

“Alright...I guess we’re giving SPKZ the spiel. Chrystal? Call your boyfriend.” Kylar glanced over at the girl as he turned on the tv and brought up his scroll, flipping files up onto the screen for them to show the others once they arrived.

Half an hour later, they got their chance, with the four members of Team SPKZ sitting or standing around their dorm listening quietly as SKTC told them everything that they knew, and showed them everything that they so far had. When Petyr’s role in acquiring the footage came to light, his three teammates shot him looks that he deliberately made sure not to acknowledge, but he could see Zav’s amused and impressed grin out of the corner of his eye.  
It didn’t surprise any of them when Kirian started to take notes, getting out his own scroll and starting to tap down details, including asking for copies of everything digital they had, which Kylar sent over to him. Meanwhile Sunny stood quietly with his arms crossed and a frown on his face, deep in thought as he processed each piece at a time while assembling the jigsaw inside of his mind as they went.

Eventually, the spiel came to an end, with Shina tossing Kirian the journal for him to rapidly take notes from and copy over into his scroll. Kirian was silent as he worked, but his mind was clearly firing off, and Petyr knew most of the details already from things Chrystal had told him.  
It was Sunny and Zavraii that were the two unknowns, for now. While Zav looked as if he’d accepted halfway through the spiel that it was out of his pay grade and he was just along for the ride, Sunny was contemplative, taking a few steps over to Kirian and glancing down at the journal in thought.

“And what do you need from us?”

“Mostly for you to be ready, just in case something does start.” Shina had his arms crossed over his chest, leaning back against one of the walls as he thought. “The more people prepared, the better.”

“You think a fight is coming. An attack, just like in the town square.” Frowning, Sunny crossed his arms again as he straightened back up. “But...not Grimm.”

“Not _just_ Grimm. This is bigger than Grimm.”

“Right…” Sunny sighed, rubbing his eyes and then pinching the bridge of his nose. “Gangs, White Fang, _and_ Grimm.”

“Well, it would explain why the Atlas military is here.” Kirian spoke up from his work, glancing up at Sunny. “We _were_ curious about that. If General Ironwood is expecting danger, I doubt it’s an unfounded expectation.”

“True. And yet the festival is still going ahead in the first place.” Sunny sighed, glancing up when Kylar spoke up.

“ _That_ is Ozpin’s influence. I’ve told my parents a bit, but not everything, and when I made that same comment my dad told me that Ozpin has always put in effort for everything to _appear_ normal. To keep people calm.”

“Keeping people calm, and keeping people _ready_ , are two very different and very important distinctions.” Sunny replied, and from where she was sitting next to Petyr Chrystal raised an eyebrow for a few moments before letting the expression vanish before it was noticed.

The eight of them fell quiet for a few moments as they were each off in their own thoughts, the atmosphere in the room heavy and paranoid, before Kirian eventually finished taking his notes and he pocketed his scroll again.

“Alright, so what’s the plan?”

“Sadly the best we _can_ do for now is stay on guard, but with four extra pairs of eyes we can keep watch easier and on a wider range.” Sunny nodded to himself, tapping his fingers on his arms as he rolled his shoulders. “Tacita can keep an eye on what’s physically happening around, meanwhile Petyr can keep jacked into communications and any network traffic, if it’s true that they’ve been messing around with the Atlas software.”

“I’ll need an authorised terminal or tablet, my pocket scroll won’t work. Only the Atlas military or the communications tower will have proper access to the right networks.” Petyr sighed helplessly, before glancing over at his girlfriend when she nodded with a small grin.

“You said the communications tower? I can get us a tablet from there. Easy.”

Chrystal expected one of her friends to object, but when none of them did she looked around at the three of them in surprise. While Kylar didn’t look happy about it, both Shina and Tacita were in agreement, though on Tacita’s part it was mostly passive, meanwhile Shina looked actively on board with the idea.

“Alright. Whilever it’s tournament hours, which would be the right moment for something to start, Tacita keeps an eye on the physical stadium itself; the crowd, the competitors, everything.” Sunny spoke up again with a slightly more determined voice, now that there was a chance of a solid plan. “Petyr, you’re on the network. Anything abnormal and you log it and then send it through to Kirian. Speaking of, Kirian…”

“Data analysis, I know. It’s what I do.” Kirian waved it off with a shrug.

“Thank you. Every scrap of information any of us gets, goes to Kirian. Shina, sadly you and I are going to be distracted.” Sunny sighed, finally slumping down onto one of the beds and putting his head in his hands. Groaning in frustrated exhaustion, he sat back up, barely having the effort to support himself.

“How long until you two have to head to the arena?” Kylar asked, looking between Shina and Sunny, who both checked their scrolls for the time in unison.

“Just over an hour.” Shina sighed, sliding his scroll away, both himself and Sunny giving each other an anxious look, now with added stress given the conversation.

Sitting back and resting her head against the wall behind her bed, Chrystal closed her eyes in thought. Their plan, ultimately, boiled down to just sitting and waiting, keeping an eye on everything. By being driven to a standstill they were forced into doing the same thing that they had lamented Ozpin and the others for doing.  
Eventually it became clear that no-one else really had anything to say, unsure what else to put on the table. They had a plan, even if just a basic one, and the tension was broken when Chrystal rose to her feet and announced she was going to go and apparently steal a tablet from the communications tower. Snatching up her belt with her pouches and grabbing her boyfriend to drag along with her since she’d need his help getting into the right place inside the tower in the first place.

Stepping out of the dorm and closing the door behind them, Chrystal let out a breath to try and get some of the anxiety from the conversation out of her body as she began to make her way towards the communications tower, only to frown when Petyr instead started to head towards the armoury.

Catching up with him, she fell in step beside him.

“You guys took all of that rather well, honestly.”

“Well, Kirian’s been smelling something fishy for a while now, so we’ve all been a bit on edge. And Sunny’s relationship with the General has been...worsening, as of late. The man’s changing.”

“And Zav?”

“He just tends to take things as they come.” Petyr chuckled and shrugged, making his way to the locker designated for him and opening it, before reaching into one of the satchels he kept in there. Grabbing an earpiece from inside, he tossed it to her before grabbing one of his own, swinging the bag itself over his shoulder.

Giggling, she put it in and tapped it to turn it on. “Okay, now we’re in spy movie territory.”

“I designed these ones, they’re on a closed network. So, they don’t use any of the actual channels. No-one’s listening in.” Petyr grinned in amusement at her as he put his own in and turned it on, both of them hearing the beep as the two devices connected. “Alright, gimme your scroll for a second.”

Frowning in concerned confusion, Chrystal reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll slowly before handing it over, raising an eyebrow as Petyr pulled out his own and closed his eyes for a few moments, with Chrystal’s scroll blipping for a brief moment, and he handed it back to her.

“What did you just do to my baby?” Chrystal looked down at her scroll as if she’d be visibly able to tell what he’d done, scrunching her eyebrows in concern and glancing up at him.

“Linked it with mine. Now I can stay outside and still use my Semblance to unlock things for you. Just instead of using _my_ scroll, you can use yours. I hack on my scroll, yours mirrors it, victory.”

Raising her eyebrows appreciatively, she slid her scroll back into her pocket, and the pair of them made their way out of the campus and towards the communications tower, noting that the sky was already orange as the sun began its descent. They were burning time, but thankfully it was a time of afternoon where the tower would be almost entirely empty, with even most of the day staff having finished their shifts.  
Pausing a street away from it, they both looked up at the impressive structure that they had been standing on top of what felt like only a couple of nights ago, before their flight up to the gunship. Quite a bit had changed since then, even if it didn’t seem like it from up close.

Glancing over at Petyr, Chrystal raised her eyebrows in the silent question of what to do, and he opened his scroll and, by asking the Beacon network nicely, brought up a basic public-domain floorplan of the tower. Navigating through it, he found what he was looking for and nodded. 

Making his way around the side of the tower, they reached a side door with a scanning pad on it which he quickly unlocked and entered, revealing a small external maintenance room for the storage of tools and basic equipment. Walking over to one of the walls, he closed his eyes as if listening before pointing to a specific panel.

“Any chance you can get that off?”

Raising an eyebrow at him, she chose not to question it and instead grabbed a metal file from her pouch and slid it into the thin gap between the panels. With a quick heavy press on the leverage, the panel popped off, and she caught it before it hit the ground too loudly. Revealing the wires in the wall, Petyr grabbed a device from his bag that looked like a handheld radio but with metal wires and clips, he clamped it only one of the wires and turned it on, satisfied when the screen lit up and the device seemed to start to tune itself, making him able to speak to the network of the building itself.

“Okay, one of the main server rooms, where you’re most likely to find spare tablets, is on the fourth floor. There's another on the twelfth.”

“Well I’d prefer the fourth floor. Am I taking the lift, stairs…?”

“Lift. Stairs will just raise questions if you bump into someone. You’re _technically_ not trespassing until you step out onto the fourth floor itself.”

“Got it. Alright. I’ll let you know when I’m in the lift.”

Chrystal gave him a smile before casually making her way back around and inside the main entrance. In less than an hour it would lock up for the night, so they needed to be in and out unless Petyr felt like remotely hacking through every individual door.

Wandering over to the lifts, she stepped into the next one and hit the door close button as soon as she did so that she’d be in there alone.

“Alrighty, I’m in the lift.”

_“Good, now just hold your scroll against the ID scanner.”_

“Okay dokey.”

Grabbing her scroll from her pocket, she wasn’t too surprised to find it already flashing, and she held it against the scanner, holding her breath just in case. But a beep in confirmation later, she felt confident hitting the button for the fourth floor.

“It worked.”

_“Alright, once you’re out of the lift, it’s a left, then down the corridor, then a right.”_

“Left, straight, right. Got it.”

As the elevator doors opened, she made sure to check whether anyone was around before following his directions, sneaking her way through the white corridors, most of the lights off due to the workers on the floor having already gone home for the day. Raising an eyebrow at the rows of terminal banks she was seeing in every room, she scoffed.

“With so many computers constantly everywhere, I’m not surprised that it’s so easy to get in and play with their systems.”

_“It’s not as easy as you think. But it’s happened before. The Atlas network was upgraded afterwards of course, but...”_

“But the towers in the other nations didn’t exactly get the software patch?” Chrystal finished off with raised eyebrows as she ducked out of the way as some technicians exited one room around the corner and entered another only a few doors down.

_“Pretty much.”_

“Well at least Atlas is safe.” Chrystal remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she made the right turn and started her way down the corridor. “I’ve taken the right turn.”

_“I’m personally glad Atlas is safe, considering I live there. But I understand your point. Okay, there’s a door on the left hand side that requires a scanner. Hold your scroll up.”_

Quickly walking over to it, she held her scroll up to the ID scanner, and turned the handle and stepped in the moment that it beeped in confirmation. The first thing she noticed was how cold the room was, and she shivered as she looked around the dark room.

“Are there meant to be no lights? And why is it so cold?”

_“Not much need for lights, but there should be a lightswitch. And server banks need to be kept cold, otherwise they can overheat far too easily.”_

Turning on the lightswitch, she scrunched up her face at the sudden glaring light from the fluorescents on the ceiling. Looking around at the rows of server banks, she hopped down the few steps and began to make her way along the walls.

“What am I looking for?”

_“Should be another locked door, not a scanner, but I suspect that’s not a problem for you.”_

“Damn right. So this last time that Atlas was hacked, when the security was then upgraded, what happened?” Reaching the door, she grabbed her lockpicks from her pouch and got to work on it.

_“It was before my time in Atlas. Years ago. But it was during a test of the prototype of a new model of Paladin, the models currently in service. Unknown to the people in the room, someone had been snooping around on the military networks and had been studying just how the software that powers the Paladins works and if it could be exploited. They must have known about the test, because they were waiting. The moment the new Paladin prototypes in the lab came online, whoever had hacked the system took them over. None of the people in the room made it out alive. Four military officers, and seven engineers and technicians, including the head of the program, Doctor Arthur Watts. Then the hack vanished, the virus scrubbed itself. The only clues of its existence being the activity log on the network.”_

“...I knew I hated those things for a good reason. The Knights too.” Chrystal sighed, finally getting the door open and stepping inside. “They were never caught?”

_“No. And after the security network was upgraded, they never tried again.”_

“Well that sucks…”

She flipped the light on and looked at the three massive wall-length terminals in the room.

“Okay, big computers, now what?”

 _“One of them should have a bank of slots with tablets plugged into it, likely six slots but I doubt all of them will be there. Plenty of technicians never put the tablets back into the proper terminal after they’re done with them.”_ Petyr said with frustrated huff through the earpiece, and she grinned in fond amusement as she walked over and simply grabbed one of the tablets, with it making a satisfying beeping noise as it disconnected from the terminal itself.

“Now just back the way I came?”

_“Pretty much, I can deal with the security footage from the tablet once I have it.”_

Quickly making her way back out the way that she came, she simply handed the tablet to him as she met back up with him on the street she’d left him on, and he put his hand on it to speak with it, wiping the footage of her being inside.

“You should help me rob places more often.” Chrystal grinned at him, giving a playful shrug as they began to make their way back. “Having someone who can just get rid of security footage with a _‘please’_ could make things so much easier.”

“I enable you enough already.” Petyr smirked as he slid the tablet into his satchel, taking the earpiece out of his ear and taking Chrystal’s back.

“No such thing.”

By the time they reached the arena and got up there, the sun was truly setting and the sky turning dark. They weren’t surprised that all of their friends were already there, sitting down, with Shina and Sunny clearly already being in the back room preparing.

Taking seats next to each other, the stadium being truly packed fit to bursting, just as full as it had been on the first day, they all looked around at each other with excited grins, Petyr resting the tablet on his lap and taking the free fifteen minutes they had in order to get into the Amity Arena network, and the Atlas network itself, so he could sit tight and connected to it the entire night.

Kirian made sure to sit next to Petyr with his own tablet on his lap, with Tacita on his other side, so the two could tell him immediately if they noticed something. Meanwhile Chrystal was free to glance nervously around at their surroundings, waving at LAVA when they arrived and getting a wide smile from Alice and a wave in response. She almost went to come and sit next to her, but she somehow sensed that Chrystal wasn’t in the mood, and was content with giving her a smile and continuing off with her town team, throwing a glance over her shoulder with a concerned look.

Meanwhile Kylar sat next to Tacita, twirling an electric dust crystal between his fingers nervously. Naturally he didn’t have his staff on him, but he made sure to have his dust bag at his feet, filled with his normal amount of crystals. They were all on high alert now, and even though they were in the middle of the arena itself he still wasn’t feeling safe in the slightest.

The crowd grew louder when the speakers crackled to life and the competitors in the singles matches took to the middle of the arena, and despite the heavy tension among their group they all perked up and smiled proudly at Shina and Sunny as the pair stood next to each other in the center of the arena, with Yang on Shina’s other side, the girl practically vibrating and glowing just from the excitement in the air.

 _“Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the one-on-one finals!!”_ The voice of Professor Port boomed throughout the stadium, and it needed to just to be audible over the sound of the crowd. _“Doctor, why don’t you explain the rules?”_

_“Oh it’s quite simple Peter! Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match is to take place!”_

_“Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare.”_

_“Ah yes yes! Not let’s see who our first match will be!”_

As the randomisation process fired away on the screens up above, spinning quickly in order to decide who would participate first, the crowd seemed unsure whether to be completely silent in anticipation, or grow even louder in excitement.

While Tacita watched anxiously, Petyr had his eyes closed as he watched the process through the network, a small frown on his face as he nudged Kirian.

“Something feels off with the randomiser, but I don’t have time to analyse it. Remind me later.”

“Got it.” Kirian noted it down on his scroll with a nod, before Petyr immediately went back into his Semblance.

_“Mercury Black, and Yang Xiao Long!”_

Tacita immediately straightened up, a shot of fear going through her as her eyes immediately went to the boy and girl in question, and she thinned her lips as she saw the absence of any surprise on Mercury’s face, meanwhile Yang looked positively ecstatic at getting to go first. She also noticed when Cinder Fall stood from her seat and wandered away casually, leaving the arena.  
Breathing in through her teeth, she leaned over to Chrystal quickly.

“Follow Cinder Fall. _Don’t_ get seen.”

Blinking in surprise for a few moments, Chrystal nodded with a frown before standing and making her own way out of the stadium. 

Wherever Cinder was going, she was going there with purpose, but also had the art of meandering casually absolutely mastered. There were enough twists and turns and clutter in the hallways for Chrystal to find it easy to follow her with full confidence she hadn’t been seen.  
This was what she had trained for, after all. What she was good at.  
Slipping from cover to cover, she grabbed her gloves from her belt and pulled them on, feeling comfort at the familiar padding.  
The sound of the crowd vanished, too far away and through too many steel walls, but while Cinder’s footsteps were now audible Chrystal’s weren’t, the girl practically silent as she snuck through, always a turn behind the other woman.

Eventually Cinder reached a storeroom and ducked inside of it casually, causing Chrystal to frown in remain in place, watching, only for Cinder to emerge a few minutes later having changed into a medic’s outfit, fixing her hair beneath the cap. Narrowing her eyes as a thrill of suspicion went through her, though it was more like a _confirmation_ of suspicion, her eyes immediately widened again when another woman emerged from the storeroom dressed the same way.

The moment Chrystal got a look at the girl’s features, at her _eyes_ , she felt every hair stand on end as her blood pulsed in a mixture of surprise and rage.

One brown eye, one strawberry pink one.

Chrystal’s hands clenched so hard that the leather of her gloves creaked as she stared at the disguised form of Neopolitan, having changed her appearance in subtle ways but enough of her original features still came through, clearly not mimicking someone else but just slightly changing her own appearance. Chrystal wanted to bang her hand on the wall in frustration at their target being underneath their noses the entire time.  
In the school itself. In the next dorm over.

The fourth member of Cinder’s team.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment to focus and calm down, she watched the two women start to quickly walk through more corridors, Chrystal silently on their heels, as they made their way towards the medical evacuation point.

With no way to sneak in after them, with it only being the one straight corridor before emerging out onto the landing pad itself where a medical airjet was waiting, Neopolitan stepping inside of it while Cinder waited outside, clearly anticipating something, Chrystal quietly growled in her throat as she glanced around, spying a window back down the hall she had come from.

Letting out an anxious breath, she shrugged, and with a silent hop and skip she nimbly leapt up and wriggled her way out, gripping onto the outside of the arena easily as she dropped down onto the thin surrounding walkway, reserved for maintenance staff, and shuffled her way around until the airjet was visible. Thinning her lips, she leapt up again and grabbed onto one of the metal struts of the arena, hanging upside down and proceeding to shimmy along until she was hanging upside down reasonably high above the door she knew Cinder was just inside of. If she wanted to, she’d be able to drop down onto the airjet itself.

Wrapping her legs around to easily hold herself in place, she grabbed her scroll from her pocket and sent a simple text to Tacita, Petyr, and Kirian.

_“Neopolitan is the fourth member of their team. Impersonating medical staff._ _ Watch the match. _ _Something is coming.”_

Slipping her scroll away into her pocket again, she swung herself around so she was balancing on the tiny space between the strut and the barrier above, safely out of sight unless someone was actively looking for her or had a Semblance similar to Tacita’s, which she was hoping Cinder didn’t have.

It was a five minute wait until the sound of the crowd was audible even from where she was, a massive groan of what sounded like horror, and she closed her eyes in despairing defeat at clearly something happening to Yang. But when she heard the sound of conversation a few minutes later, she was surprised when it was Mercury that was loaded onto the fake medical transport instead, carried in on a stretcher. Gripping onto the beam in absolute black fury as the airjet flew away, she resisted the urge to jump on top of it and continue investigating.

She _badly_ wanted to, but she didn’t have her weapons, and despite the fact she knew she was decent at unarmed combat she didn’t want to potentially take on three opponents at once. Four if Mercury was still in fighting shape.

Instead she simply dropped down onto the now empty landing pad silently and made sure to watch for exactly where the airjet landed, narrowing her eyes as she recognised the side of town it was flying towards;

Torchwick’s turf on the docks.

She wanted to scream in rage.

Taking another deep breath, her scroll blipped in her pocket and she immediately grabbed it to check, seeing it was a message from Tacita.

_“Dormroom. Now.”_

With a final growl and glance over to where the airjet had headed off to, she slipped her scroll away and began to jog towards the landing bays to head back to the school. The murmurs of those leaving the stadium were horrified and heavy, and she could feel the anxiety in the air as she hopped onto an airjet and took the ride down to the ground. Even the streets of the city were buzzing, as the bars that had been crowded for people to watch the match were loud in a mixture of anxious and angry conversation.  
Grinding her teeth, and practically sprinted back to her dorm, and wasn’t surprised that she was the first one there, considering how much closer she had been to the landing bays than the others. So she simply yanked her gloves off and tossed them onto her bed in frustration, before sitting on the edge of it heavily and burying her face in her hands.

And so their first red thread had successfully led them to its conclusion, and one of the two final pieces clicked into place.

Ten minutes later, the dorm opened quickly and anxiously, and she looked up as both her own team and team SPKZ came in, all seven of them looking disturbed.  
She looked over at Tacita, who’s eyes were heavy and deep in thought.

“What happened?”

“Yang won the fight, but…” Kylar answered instead, quickly snatching up the tv remote and turned it to the tournament broadcast channel, which unsurprisingly was talking about the horror at the match in excruciating detail, eventually showing the clip of Yang viciously breaking Mercury’s leg.

“...oh gods…” Chrystal let out a horrified whisper as she watched with wide eyes, before frowning in denial and shaking her head, not looking away from the screen. “But...Yang wouldn’t...do that. I know her. She’s aggressive, but not cruel.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Shina nodded from near his closet where he was hanging up his armour. He turned to look at her with a serious look on his face. “And you’re _certain_ you saw Neopolitan?”

“I’d bet my life. In fact, I think I kinda did.” Chrystal nodded, her face going hesitant and anxious as she got to the end of her thoughts.

“Yang didn’t break his legs, either.” Tacita crossed her arms and looked down at the ground, shaking her head. “The guy doesn’t have any. I clocked that the first time I saw him.”

“She’s right. They’re cybernetic, I can hear them.” Petyr nodded, grabbing out the tablet they’d stolen and easily getting into the Amity arena’s network, bringing up the camera footage of what Yang did. “So what the hell happened?”

That was the million lien question, and it was one that nobody had the answer to, so the dormroom lapsed into a resounding and deafening silence. Nobody wanted to look around the room at each other's faces, because nobody wanted to know who genuinely suspected that Yang would do something like what she did. But it was on camera, and it was gruesome. Even though nothing actually _hurt_ Mercury, that didn’t change the fact that Yang viciously attacked his leg seemingly out of nowhere.

And there was no way that Yang knew that his legs were fake. The guy had done an excellent job of disguising that fact.

Eventually, not much time later, all four members of SPKZ had to check their scrolls when they all blipped at the same time, with all Atlas students being recalled to their dorms immediately so they could be spoken to, and could give reports about what they saw happen.  
Glancing at each other, the boys gave out anxious breaths. They knew they were going to be keeping the secrets, there was no way any of it would be of any use.

Even if Petyr vouched about Mercury’s legs with his entire reputation, he doubted that he would be believed, no without any proof.

That was the problem, they had no proof.

So with somber and quiet goodnights, SPKZ headed out, leaving just SKTC sitting and watching the news footage over and over again as they thought.

Eventually, Chrystal spoke up, her voice heavy.

“Right under our noses. Our trail would have led us right back here. We have our answers.”

“We have our answers.” Tacita nodded in agreement, before looking down at her bed despondently. “But what can we do with them?”

Tapping his hands on the table he was leaning against, Shina’s face hardened and his eyes narrowed. “We find them. If their hideout is in Torchwick’s warehouses, that’s territory that we can canvass in a matter of hours.”

“We can’t go tonight, the entire city is practically under lockdown, not to mention Grimm activity going wild on the border.” Tacita pointed to the tv, which was showing the onslaught of Grimm coming towards the city due to the panic.

Watching the tv for a few moments, Shina gripped the table hard enough his knuckles went white, and he clenched his jaw for a few moments. Glancing around at the others, his voice hardened as he gave his orders, snatching up his scroll as he went to call Lucille after he had finished talking.

“I hope none of you are tired, because we’re going out to the border, and we’re doing out damn jobs. If we can’t finally go for Neopolitan and Mercury tonight, we do it tomorrow. But for now, we’re going to go do our jobs. Get your gear.” Looking around at the others with a hard look, he nodded in appreciation as the three of them didn’t hesitate before starting to dress for battle.

 _“Shina, what’s up? You wanting to talk about what happened at the arena? Because that was certainly some shit.”_ Lucille sounded tired when she picked up, and Shina could also hear the sounds of the rest of her team in the background.

“Not right now, instead the four of us are heading out to the border to help with the Grimm. And I’m asking you to come and help.”

There was a pause as Lucille took her scroll away from her mouth, clearly to ask her team, and barely a moment later she answered with a more awake voice. _“We’ll meet you at the landing bays in fifteen minutes.”_

“Thank you. Let’s fix the problems we can for now, yeah?”

_“You got it. But you’re team RWBY’s friends, right?”_

“We are. And while we don’t understand what happened, we’re going to try to. So I’m begging you guys to hold off on any judgement until we speak to Yang and her team.” Shina sighed as he pulled on his armoured jacket again.

_“...we’ll try. See you soon.”_

As Lucille hung up, Shina slid his scroll back into his pocket as he led the way out of the dorm, closing and locking the door behind him, and the four of them stormed their way towards the armoury to grab their gear, happy to see they weren’t the only ones.

Answers came tomorrow. Mercury and Neopolitan came tomorrow.

For now, they had a job to do.

+=+=+

The next morning had Tacita sitting against one of the trees near the spot where they’d all had their picnic only a handful of days ago, her eyes closed as she thought over everything to herself. With Kylar meeting with his parents to _finally_ tell them absolutely everything that they knew, and Chrystal and Shina out in the city on the hunt for Mercury and Neopolitan now that they knew the truth and they had the opportunity that the four of them had been _begging_ for, they all just wished that it had happened before the reputation of one of their favourite people had been destroyed.  
Sighing, she rested her head back against the tree trunk as she rewatched the events of the previous night over and over again. The onslaught of Grimm had been relentless, and even the student teams had been allowed onto the frontline to hold the horde back. Eventually it had dwindled enough that the Knights could hold them off on their own, but it had led to a long morning of Tacita almost completely restocking her arrow supply, having bled it almost dry the previous night.

Everything about what Yang had done was wrong. And not just in a moral way. But in that it didn’t make any sense. The three of them knew that Chrystal had a good relationship with the blonde girl, and Chrystal had vouched for her so vehemently that she’d teared up on several occasions through the night, plenty of times out of fury about what had happened.  
The conclusion about what had happened was obvious to Tacita. Cinder may have wandered away, but Emerald had stayed. And both Emerald and Cinder had returned to campus and were simply going about their day, appreciating the sympathy they were getting in regards to their ‘brutally wounded’ teammate.

While Tacita wasn’t normally an angry person, she couldn’t deny the fire in her head at that entire part of the situation.

Noticing when General Ironwood and the rest of Team RWBY finally left their dorm, leaving Yang alone, she waited another few minutes before texting Petyr that it was time. Ten minutes later, Petyr was walking over to her carrying Tacita’s bow and quiver in one hand, and his satchel over his shoulder.

“You sure about this? She probably doesn’t want to talk.” Petyr asked quietly as he offered Tacita a hand to pull her to her feet, the girl taking her quiver and sliding it onto its place on her back, clicking her bow open.

“Probably not. But we need to know. And she might appreciate knowing there are people utterly in her corner.”

“Maybe. Or she’ll be hurt that more people are prodding.” Petyr raised his eyebrows, but still followed Tacita around the back of the dorm block, the girl looking up at the third floor window where RWBY’s dorm was.

“Let’s find out. Grab on.”

Clicking her quiver for it to rotate to the right arrow, she reached back and grabbed the grappling arrow before firing it up to hook onto the roof of the building, Petyr taking her free hand as she clicked the button on her bow again to zoom them up, making sure to stop their ascent just outside Team RWBY’s window, where Yang was curled up on her bed but had turned to look over at the sound.

“Hey Yang. Mind if we come in?”

“I’m not really in the mood, Tacita.” Yang rolled back over again to face the wall, and Tacita and Petyr glanced at each other before Tacita continued.

“We think we can prove you innocent.”

There was no response at first, but Yang slowly rolled over with a miserable frown. “You believe I’m innocent?”

“Of course. You’d never do something like that.” Tacita said softly with a shake of her head. “Besides, we’ve been shifty on Mercury and the rest of his team. They’re one of the things we’ve been keeping an eye on.”

“...alright. Come in, I guess.” Yang sighed, crossing her arms on her lap as Tacita and Petyr swung in, Tacita retracting the arrow and putting it back into her quiver.

“So...what do you want?” Yang asked quietly, not really looking up at them, mostly looking down at the floor and blinking slowly.

“To know what you saw instead of the truth.” Tacita asked gently as Petyr pulled out the tablet and switched to the footage of her attack on Mercury. Tacita continued. “Emerald is an illusionist. If you saw something other than the truth, well…”

“I get you.” Yang flinched as she watched the footage of what she did, looking away. “It really doesn’t look great for me, huh.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, you didn’t actually hurt him.” Petyr added in as he slipped the tablet away again, and she looked up in confusion. “His legs are cybernetic. They’re fake. You punched metal.”

“But...but that’s…” Yang blinked and sat up a bit straighter, sucking in a breath as the confusion wracked through her. “They flew him to a hospital though. How didn’t _they_ find out?”

“Because they didn’t take him to a hospital. Chrystal was spying on Cinder. They took Mercury and snuck him away. Cinder, Emerald...and Neopolitan.”

“Neopolitan?” Yang curled her legs up and hugged them to her chest on her bed, her panicked and frazzled mind trying to put pieces together and having trouble.

“ _You’d_ know her as the pink and brown haired girl from the train, according to Chrystal. The girl we’ve been hunting.” Tacita said gently, recognising that they were very close to having Yang going into a true panic attack.

They let Yang sit there quietly as she digested everything, occasionally looking at her own hands and then back down at her lap, but eventually she looked up and asked in the softest and most vulnerable voice imaginable.

“Why would they do all this?”

Sadly that was the question that didn’t have a true answer. Despite all of their best efforts, despite the fact they _finally_ had what they’d been looking for, all their evidence and efforts coming to fruition. All of Chrystal’s evidence would lead them to the right warehouse, Tacita’s paranoia about their team had led to the truth about Mercury, and the truth about what happened to their report, combined with their mission, _combined further_ with the breach, had given them the truth about the fact that Grimm had definitely been snuck into the city.

It was an attack, and it was coming. Grimm, the White Fang, possibly the gangs of the city. The only loose end was the bodies, but it was the _only_ loose end left. The rest had all clicked together.

“Because they’re going to attack Beacon.” Tacita said simply, getting a shocked look from Petyr at the fact she had just come out and said it, meanwhile Yang physically rocked and straightened from hearing it.

“...and me?”

“The panic. To draw in Grimm. I need to know what you saw.” Tacita said softly, putting her bow and quiver aside and sinking down onto the bed across from Yang’s, meanwhile Petyr elected to sit on the floor with his tablet out.

“I...well, I won the match. And I was so happy.” Yang gave a dry chuckle that turned into a choked wince. “But then he attacked me, and I saw it coming. So...I blocked it. That’s what I hit”

“And he was in the perfect place and angle for it to look like what it did.” Petyr breathed out, entering it into the tablet and sending it through to Kirian. He looked up at Tacita. “I felt a strange bug in the randomisation system but I didn’t have time to follow it before everything happened. It’s the first time I’ve been able to touch the randomiser, but...something tells me it wasn’t the first time it’s been there.”

“What are you saying?” Yang asked quietly, her mind already suspecting the answer, and the answer terrified her, meanwhile Tacita had simply closed her eyes in resigned acceptance at another level of it all clicking.

“It was rigged.” Petyr said quietly, scared of the words even as he said them. “They set you up. Deliberately.”

“Last night was just theater. Well rehearsed theater.” Tacita buried her face into her hands for a moment in a strange mixture of despair and emptiness. She sat up and stood. “I assume you’ve been disqualified?”

“Yes…” Yang looked back down, closing her eyes, before she looked up and her eyes were a blazing and furious red. “This is...they did this to me just...I’m the fucking _opening act?”_

“Things haven’t truly started yet. Shina and Chrystal are out trying to find Mercury. But until we have answers…” Tacita nodded to Petyr, who stood and reached into his bag before pulling out Yang’s gauntlets, stolen from her locker where they’d been taken from her by arena officials.   
He put them on the bed next to her.

“Be careful Yang. Something is coming. Stay on guard.” Tacita grabbed her gear and slung her quiver back on, opening her bow again. Her face softened as she stepped over to gently place a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. That they chose you. That...they did this.”

“Yeah…” Yang looked next to her and put a hand on her gauntlets sadly. “Me too.”

As Tacita stepped away with Petyr, grabbing a grappling arrow and attaching it to the top of the windowsill and clicking it to her bow, Yang spoke up from the bed, and when the two of them looked at her they saw her eyes were half between lilac and red.

“...thank you. For believing me. For...reassuring me. For telling me. And...tell Chrystal…” She growled in her throat and her eyes completed the transformation to red, clenching her fists so hard her arms were shaking. “Tell her that when she finds him to pummel him into the ground.”

“I’ll pass it along.” Tacita gave her an affectionate and supportive look as she hopped out of the window and hung in empty space for a moment as Petyr hopped out after and grabbed her hand, swinging underneath her. “Be safe. And...be prepared.”

“I will…” Yang’s anger faltered and returned to her deep depression, and she deflated before curling back up on her bed. “I will…”

Looking at her sadly for a few moments, Tacita bit her lip, before clicking her bow and dropping the two of them to the ground, retracting the arrow yet again and sliding it back into her quiver with a miserable sigh.

“So that confirms it.” Petyr said quietly, both of them looking at each other sadly. “That confirms _everything.”_

“It does. Now we just hope that Shina and Chrystal find them. But in the meantime, we have to prepare for tonight. I doubt that they'll give us a moment of peace.”

As Petyr and Tacita headed back to the armoury to return their gear, Yang curled up tighter in the ball on her bed, closing her eyes and hugging her gauntlets to her chest.

+=+=+

Dropping the thug from Torchwick’s gang she’d been interrogating to the ground, Chrystal gave him a swift kick in the head to knock him out as she looked around to find Shina, where he’d been asking similar questions to another man, but also looked as if he’d been getting nowhere.  
The time for stealth and subtlety was out, they didn’t have the luxury of time anymore.

“Any luck?” She asked as she cracked her knuckles and opened the door to the small safehouse they’d been led to by the last person they’d politely asked questions.

“The stolen dust was all taken to a central location. Some lockup that Roman used to hold onto smuggled shit.” Shina answered as he joined her, closing the door to the safehouse behind him as they left, with the five unconscious thugs inside.

“Well, that’s somewhere. I’ll take the rooftops and follow you, if you know the way?”

“He politely provided me with directions, so I’ll lead on.”

Giving him a grim smile, Chrystal leapt up onto the wall of the safehouse and bounced back and forth between the walls, parkour climbing up onto the rooftops and following Shina as he made his way through the streets themselves towards where they were heading.

The warehouse was relatively nondescript, but all of Roman’s warehouses were, it was a good way to avoid too much scrutiny. This one didn’t have any windows on the walls, but she could see the signs of skylights on the roof. When Shina got close, he looked up at where he knew she’d be, and she held up a hand to have him stop as she quickly leapt onto the roof of the warehouse and scrambled along towards one of the skylights, unlocking it in a matter of seconds and swinging inside to land on one of the massive shelves full of boxes and crates.  
There was a source of light inside, and she smiled in vicious satisfaction as she continued to move along from stack to stack as silently as she could, heading towards a source of light that was illuminating the otherwise completely shadowed interior. A basic table was set up with a few lamps around it to provide light, and while there was no sign of Mercury she could see what looked to be a box of tools such as screwdrivers and even a decent looking wrench. Raising an eyebrow, she took that as confirmation of his presence, considering a solid hit from Yang would have at least _damaged_ his leg and given him the need to repair it.

But otherwise, there didn’t seem to be anyone. The warehouse was empty.

Which meant it was safe to poke around.  
But it also meant that both Mercury and Neo were already on the move, with whatever they were doing.

Making her way over to the warehouse door, she opened it casually for Shina, who raised an eyebrow in concern before quietly following her inside and closing the door behind him.

“Anything?”

“They were here, Mercury fixed up his leg. But now...empty.”

The two of them made their way over to the table, papers strewn about, and Chrystal began to look through them meanwhile Shina didn’t bother to try, instead looking for other evidence or clues. Eventually he found one in what appeared to be the remains of a fire inside of a metal grate against one of the walls, and reaching around inside he found the remnants of scraps of paper.

“I reckon they burnt all the useful shit.” He sighed, grabbing as many remains that weren’t simply ash and taking them over, placing the delicately damaged paper on the table for Chrystal to scrutinise.

Frowning, she began to look through them tenderly.

“Look like the remains of a shipping dossier.” Blinking, she gave a frown. “That’s the Mistral seal on the corner there, faintly? But...nothing else. Not a scrap else.”

“Shipping from Mistral.” Shina hummed, before shaking his head dismissively while also filing the information away for later. “Tell Kirian all of this, and then we have to head back. If they’re burning papers and notes, it’s starting soon enough that they don’t need them.”

“You think it’s tonight?”

“I think it’s tonight.”

+=+=+

As Chrystal paced back and forth in Team CULD’s dorm, explaining to the four of them what was going on and what they theorised, the only person who spoke up was Ursa with the occasional question for clarification.  
Meanwhile Lelise sat unusually quietly, her arms crossed with her legs up on their dining table and a frown on her face.

Watching Chrystal pacing with a concerned look on her face, Delilah had her hands by her sides as she leant back against the wall next to their kitchen, and when Chrystal finished her explanation she spoke with a worried tone.

“And you’re sure about this?”

“Without a doubt. We’ve torn the city apart for months now.” Chrystal turned to Delilah with a determined look on her face that had the slightest hint of pleading to it. Frowning for a moment as she considered, Delilah nodded slowly.

“What do you need us to do?”

“Be ready. We can’t stop this coming, we’re too late and even if we had the greatest evidence in the world I don’t think there’s anything we could say that could stop the tournament.”

Nodding in agreement, Lelise looked to Delilah and gave a strained and resigned smile, her voice uncharacteristically heavy. “I know you’ve been off doing your own thing, but if this is true, we should stick together.”

“I agree. I’m sorry I’ve been so absent. If I’d been around, maybe I could have…” Delilah sighed, looking away and crossing her arms over her chest tightly and guiltily. “I…”

“It’s okay.” Cypher spoke through Ursa. “All four of us are private people. But stick close now until this is through.”

“I will. We’ve always done this together.” Delilah walked over with a small smile and sat on the chair next to Lelise, her partner looking at her with a grateful smile. “But..I am sorry.”

“Alright. So you’re in the loop now.” Chrystal nodded in finality. Scarily aware of how little time there was before the fight in the arena. “You coming up to the arena, or staying down here to protect the campus itself?”

“I think we should stay down here.” Cypher spoke through Ursa again, looking around at the others. “We can keep the campus clear and focus on securing civilians.”

“Agreed. I can’t fight up on the arena anyway. Not at my strongest. I’d kill people.” Lelise said with a hint of regret, but her conviction quickly covered it up.

“I agree as well. Between Lelise and I, we can establish a safe zone, and Cypher can bring wounded for me to heal.” Delilah nodded, the plan coming together, and she looked up at Chrystal was fierce eyes. “Thank you for telling us. We _can_ hold the line here. Are any other teams in the know?”

“Unless my friends have told others, then I’m not sure.” Chrystal shook her head and gave a shrug, before glancing down at the time on her scroll. “Alright, it’s almost time. Be ready, and...good luck. As soon as the arena is clear, my team and I will be down to help.”

“Oh if I’m letting loose I think you’ll know where to find us.” Lelise gave a grin, but it was strained and stressed. Delilah put her hand on her arm to reassure her, and Lelise relaxed slightly.

Nodding to her friends, her eyes lingering on Cypher, Chrystal bit her lip and quickly hugged them all tightly, blinking at how cold Delilah was, and giving Cypher a small kiss on the forehead before she left, closing their dorm door behind her and leaning back against it as she sighed.  
SKTC and both Petyr and Sunny from SPKZ were going to be up in the arena, while Kirian and Zav remained below, lingering in the festival grounds to assist civilians if things _did_ kick off. And now apparently CULD was on the ground as well.

Between all the other students that were going to be up on the arena, it would be more than safe and quick to secure.

As she shakily began to make her way back to her dorm to get into her armour, she sent a text out to the rest of her team and SPKZ.

_“CULD are in the loop and are going to secure a safe zone on the ground. - Chrystal”_

_“Understood. We’ll keep that in mind. - Kirian.”_

Entering her dorm, she quickly dressed into her armour, making sure each segment and section was in perfect condition and perfectly positioned, before quickly making her way to the armoury to reload her magazines. She couldn’t take her weapons into the arena itself, but she’d be able to call her locker when things began, and it was best to be ready and loaded the moment she grabbed her harness from it.  
With that done, she closed her eyes and took a few anxious breaths, before quickly making her way to the airpads to fly up to the arena, immediately running and burying into Petyr’s arms the moment she saw him. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he hugged her back just as tightly and just as anxiously.

“It’ll be alright. We can do this. We saw this coming, so we prepared.”

“Yeah.” Chrystal sighed, her eyes closed and nodding shakily. “This doesn’t feel much like a Mission Complete though.”

“I guess that’s because you’re not done yet. But, for now...let’s do this.” Petyr leant back to give her a warm kiss, both of them trying to find comfort in it, before they quickly made their way to their seats. Petyr immediately had the tablet out and was attuned to the arena within moments, keeping an eye on everything that was happening, meanwhile Tacita was sitting quietly and serenely, as if in meditation.

“Where’s Kylar?” Chrystal asked quietly, frowning in concern.

“Talking to his parents. But he’ll be here.”

+=+=+

_“Cinder, we have a complication”_

_“Oh? Tell.”_

_“Team SKTC knows. They’ve figured_ _everything_ _out, and they know the plan. They’ve told people and are getting ready. Apart from teams SPKZ and CULD I’m not sure who knows.”_

 _“Interesting. That_ _is_ _a complication. Very well, let’s see how they handle things. Go along with it until the last minute, then do your part of the plan.”_

_“Ma’am, team SKTC are a threat.”_

_“Clearly. They’ve done well. Then they will be eliminated. I’ve read their psych profiles, they’ll throw themselves into the thick of the fight, and if things go to plan then no-one will come out of it.”_

_“...yes ma’am. Understood.”_

_“Are your children ready?”_

_“Yes. They will be in position in time.”_

_“Good. You know where to meet after it’s all done.”_

_“Yes ma’am, see you then.”_

+=+=+

As Kylar stood with his parents in the rather comfortable space of the West Forest Corporation private jet, his father pacing back and forth, he answered any question they had at a rapid pace, filling them both in as quickly as possible.

The conversation had been going on for the better part of two and a half hours. But his father was a man who needed full details, and Tesse was able to word the questions the right way to get exactly the details Logan needed to complete his mental picture of whatever was going on.

“We need to speak to Ozpin. There’s no stopping the tournament, but he can have people on alert.” Logan said with conviction as he paced, pausing to rub a hand over his face and clench his other in tense frustration. “You’ve all been very busy, and I’d scold you to hell if you hadn’t done so _damn_ well.”

“Thank you? I think?” Kylar voiced hesitantly, getting a stressed but amused smile from his mother while his father simply gave him a withering look.

“Your team will be up on the arena?”

“Yes. But we’ll be immediately coming down to the city the moment the civilians have been evacuated safely.”

“I see.” Logan didn’t sound particularly happy with the idea, but from the look in his son’s eyes he knew he wasn’t winning any fight on that front.

“I’m going into the fight, dad. I have to.”

“I know, Kylar. I know.” Logan sighed stressfully as he glanced at Tesse. “We can help to establish a safe zone on the outskirts of the city.”

“Yes. Easy enough.” Tesse nodded in agreement, before clicking her tongue. “A shame we didn’t bring our weapons. It appears we might have needed them one last time after all.”

There was no safe reply or comment for Kylar to make on that regard, so he stood quietly as he thought over everything that might be about to happen. It was an attack on all fronts, by practically every enemy that Beacon had. With White Fang and mercenaries involved as well, it threatened to be a bloodbath. The thought made his insides clench.  
Grimm were one thing, but none of them had ever fought people.  
Not in a fight for their lives, at least. Street fights with muggers, and bar brawls, were a whole different type of chaos. This was going to be different.

Taking in a shaky breath, he must have given away some sort of tell, as Tesse reached up and took her son's hand from where she was sitting nearby. She didn’t say anything, merely giving it a reassuring squeeze, and the look she gave him was fierce and confident.

This was the job. The life he had chosen.

And he couldn’t be more terrified.

“Kylar, you are a brave young man, and your entire team may have just helped a city to fight a war.” Clearly sensing his son’s waivering nerve, Logan took the steps needed to close the distance with his son, and put his hand on his shoulder, fixing him with a confident and reassuring look. “No matter what happens in the hours to come, know you did the right thing. And your mother and I couldn’t be more proud. Keep a level head, be brave, and do what you do best….stay smart.”

“Yes sir.” Kylar straightened up and held his head high, giving a brave nod that had Logan pull him into a hug.

“Your mother and I need to speak to Ozpin. Go to your team, and hurry. And when it’s time to fight, you keep in mind at all times what it is you’re fighting for. I love you son. So much.”

“I love you too dad. I’ll make you proud.”

Stepping back from the hug, Logan cupped his son’s cheek with his hand gently, as Tesse stood as well and stepped up. “Kylar, we have always been proud of you. You are on your way to being a better Huntsman, and a better man, than I could have ever hoped to be. Fight well, and come to the safe zone when it’s either finished, or you need to recuperate.”

“I will.”

Tesse pulled Kylar in to a deep hug, squeezing him tightly and putting her hand on the back of his head warmly and lovingly. “You are the heir not just to the Goroesi legacy, but to the Aierna legacy as well. From the Aierna blood in you, do the _right_ thing, and from the Goroesi, do _well_.”

“I will, mum. I promise.”

“I know. I love you, so much.”

“I love you too.” Kylar squeezed her back for a moment, before becoming aware of just how little time he had left to get to the arena. He stepped back. “I have to go.”

Giving his parents one last look, he hit the button to open the door to the jet and stepped out, quickly making his way towards the arena airjets at a quick run.

Watching him go, Logan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his face saddening as he glanced at Tesse. “Every time I see him get older, the more he reminds me of Joran.”

“Yes. Me too.” 

Smiling fondly at the thought, Tesse stepped over to one of the jet lockers and opened it, grabbing one of the emergency rifles from inside and slinging it over her shoulder before tossing the other one to Logan, who caught it.

“Alright then, let’s go nag the old man, it’ll be just like the old days.” Logan grinned as he stepped out of the jet as well, Tesse following, and the door closed behind them as they quickly made their way towards where they knew Ozpin would be; 

His office.

So close to the match of the night, the campus and tower were practically abandoned, so they weren’t even noticed as they entered the elevator and took the ride up to speak with him.

Not waiting to knock on the door and wait, Logan merely walked into his office, causing Ozpin to turn in his seat from where he’d been looking out of his window while Qrow and Glynda talked between themselves, all three people in the room looking up as the two entered.

“Logan, Tesse, what seems to be the problem?” Ozpin frowned, glancing at the rifles they had slung on their backs and then looking between the two of them.

“Team SKTC have officially finished their impromptu investigation Oz, and I daresay it was quite the success. Beacon is going to be attacked.” Logan looked around at everyone in the room with a stern gaze. “Tonight.”

“They sure it’s tonight? We know something is coming, but...this soon?” Qrow came over from where he’d been standing, crossing his arms, looking remarkably sober.

“They’re sure. Every bit of evidence they’ve collected points to it. Grimm, White Fang, and possibly mercenaries.”

“I see.” Ozpin templed his hands in front of his face and closed his eyes. “They have been working very hard, and I do not believe for a moment that they are the sort to rush to their conclusions without covering their bases.”

“And an attack tonight wouldn’t be out of the question, considering the fear and chaos caused by last night.” Qrow frowned as he thought over it, grabbing his flask to take a deep drink before raising an eyebrow when Tesse extended a hand for it in request. Shrugging, he tossed it to her for her to take a long drink and then toss it back.

“What?” Tesse looking around at where the others were looking at her, Logan with an amused glimmer in his eyes. “It’s going to be that sort of night.”

“Very well, I suppose we best prepare. But there is only so much we can do without causing total panic.” Glynda nodded as she thought over possible plans, glancing up at the Atlas gunships in the skies. “Oh I never enjoy it when James gets to say ‘I told you so.’ but it appears this will be one of those times.”

“Have you put Miss Nikos through…” Logan hesitated, flinching at the very idea of what they were going to do to her, considering it barbaric. “Is she the maiden yet?”

“No, she is yet to give her conclusive answer. We gave her until the end of the tournament to make her final decision.” Glynda shook her head.

“Which was a mistake, clearly. She agreed at that moment.” Qrow growled, shaking his head in frustration before looking up at Logan. “I know you hate the idea, Logan. I do too. We all hate it. But it’s what we need. For all we know, her assailant is here in the city to take the rest of Amber’s power.”

“That is almost assuredly the case, I believe.” Ozpin frowned, his voice in the same cool and collected tone it almost always was.

It was a conversation that Logan had dreaded ever being a part of, even despite the experience he had with maidens and their gifts due to his assistance training them. The idea of forcibly extracting it, extracting Amber’s aura itself, and inserting it into Pyrrha...it was abhorrent to him, it interrupted what had been a sacred process for centuries.  
The arguments for it were valid. There have been evil maidens in the past and they had been true horrors to deal with, so the thought of the rest of Amber’s power going to this other woman was a worrisome thought.

But if Beacon’s great weapon was going to be a girl they had forced another person’s aura into…

It was the type of thinking similar to this which had been a part of what drove Logan and Tesse away from Ozpin and his schemes in the first place. Along with other things.

“It may be necessary to do it tonight. As soon as possible, if SKTC’s prediction is true and things begin. If they don’t, then it is tomorrow.” Ozpin said quietly, and Logan blinked.

“You want to turn her into a maiden and then release her onto a battlefield immediately?!”

“Are there better alternatives, Logan? You got something up your sleeve?” Qrow asked from his place, fixing Logan with a tired but also understanding look.

The two men had never really gotten along. Qrow had been two years above Logan at the academy, and it had been a few years after that when Team BLAK were brought into the fold that they had encountered each other yet again, reuniting with Team STRQ. There’d been friction, despite Zara and Tai’s best efforts to establish cohesion, and in the end they’d all gone their separate ways.  
STRQ broke up as a team shortly after Zara and Joran had died. All of them except for Raven had attended Zara’s funeral.

But Raven _had_ been there for Joran’s, standing a distance away.

That was the last time any of them saw each other until Summer’s funeral.

...it was always for funerals.

And now here they were, back in Ozpin’s office preparing for war. It felt sickeningly like the old days, except he and Qrow had a few grey hairs now.  
They were all older, and more tired, and more cynical. And there were less of them than any of them were happy with. The absences in the room were glaringly obvious, and if they didn’t ignore them it would only hurt.

“No. No I suppose there aren’t.” Logan shook his head in resignation, and the look Qrow gave him was both cynical but also remarkably sympathetic.

The terminal on Ozpin’s desk beeped, and Ozpin looked at it and raised his eyebrows, thinning his lips. “The match is soon to be chosen and begin. Prepare those that can be warned, even in the city, but without causing a panic. It’s time.”

+=+=+

The group currently gathered and waiting inside of the arena sat with held breaths as the monitors switched to the randomiser to begin to spin. Both Sunny and Shina in the arena itself couldn’t help but feel small twinges of anxiety and fear that they were going to be the ones made an example out of.  
Meanwhile the moment things began to spin, Petyr locked onto the network and scrutinised the randomisation program as best as he could. While inside the network with his Semblance, it was as if time was moving slower, his mind able to make the connections and examine things so rapidly. It didn’t take him long to find the glitch in the program.

He’d been right, the randomiser was rigged.

Petyr’s physical body spasmed, and Chrystal put her hand on his arm even though she knew he wouldn’t be able to feel it. But his face looked furious and pained, and it had her biting her lip in worry.  
Back inside, he proceeded to tear the virus apart to study it. While he couldn’t fight it directly, he was able to analyse it and scrutinise it closely, taking it apart as if he were taking apart a physical electrical device to study it. When he found who was going to be fighting next, he clenched in fear, and his physical body gasped and went rigid.

Penny and Pyrrha.

Forced between choosing to follow the virus back to the source, or travelling elsewhere in the network to try and connect to Penny even if just distantly, he made the emotional choice and went to try and find any echo of Penny’s program to be able to talk to her. It would take time, but he might be able to warn her in time.  
Out in the real world, the randomiser came to a stop on Pyrrha and Penny, and SKTC looked at each other in concern and no small measure of fear for their friend’s life. But Pyrrha was strong, and clever, so there was a high chance she’d figure out if something went wrong and would be able to keep herself safe.

Taking several deep breaths, Tacita strained as she widened out her Semblance as powerfully as she could, stretching to her maximum range. Able to cover the entire interior of the theater at once, the noise and information was so overwhelming that she was gripping her armrests so tightly the metal was groaning.  
As Ruby Rose spotted Emerald in the crowd, Tacita gasped in a breath of anxiety, both due to Emerald’s presence but also as Ruby stood and wandered off alone. With Sunny and Shina already armed in the arena, Ruby should be safe, so Tacita instead zoned in on Emerald, able to scrutinise every single twitch in the girl’s face.

The two in the arena squared each other off, meanwhile Shina and Sunny made a pointed choice to keep their weapons on themselves even as they went into the back room. The rest of the champions had hurried into the stands to watch, but Shina and Sunny instead waited quietly, giving each other anxious looks but with steel in their eyes, the two team leaders ready for whatever might be coming. Shina felt a swell of anxiety at being away from Velvet, but the rest of her team were right by her and would almost certainly stay close to her until Shina got there if anything began.

For now, Sunny and Shina looked up at the monitors as the arena moved into position for Penny and Pyrrha.

As the match began, the others watched in fearful anxiety, the two skilled and powerful fighters going back and forth.

And then, a gunshot. Distant, echoing through the halls and barely audible underneath the roar of the crowd, but it was there. Sunny looked to Shina immediately, and Shina gave him a nod before running.

“Keep an eye on the match, I’ll go check it out.”

Following the sound it had come from, Shina kept his ears sharp and his grip on his blade tight as he ran through the maze of corridors throughout the back rooms of the arena.

There was another shot, and he faintly recognised the distinct noise of it as he nailed down the direction it was coming from, near the back hangar bays in the maintenance section, near the other entrance into the arena itself.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Petyr was searching constantly for some sort of access into Penny so he could talk to her, but she was mostly a closed network and he could only find echoes. But if he found an echo close enough, he might be able to get a message through.

He found one. He found _something._ And he latched onto it with all of his might.

_“Penny? Penny can you hear me? Please tell me you can hear me.”_

_“Is that you Petyr? I am rather busy at the moment, is everything okay?”_

_“No, I need you to listen okay?”_

Tacita watched the match with a full strain on her Semblance, and she watched with widened eyes as she saw Emerald focus and narrow her eyes, her aura glimmering. Tacita gasped.

“No...nonono.”

Next to her, Kylar jumped and looked to her. “What is it?”

“It’s Emerald, she’s-”

She cut off as her eyes widened further, and all eyes in the arena turned to watch almost in horrific and panic-induced slow motion as Pyrrha blasted her Semblance at full strength, sending Penny’s blades firing back. A moment seemed to pass almost taking hours as Tacita’s Semblance took in every detail, the wires wrapping around Penny’s body and pulling tight.  
And then the horrific squeal of fabric and metal ripping in half.

The noise the crowd made was horrific and haunted as Penny dropped, eyes already going cold. Down the row of seats, Petyr clutched his head in agony and had to bite his arm to stop himself from crying out in a mixture of agony and despair as he felt Penny’s consciousness be severed. It had felt almost as if she had been reaching for his outstretched hand, he had been warning her, and then she had vanished.

Panic hit the crowd in a massive wave, and Tacita retracted her Semblance instantly in order to avoid the emotional lash, each of her friends more than aware of what was about to happen even as Petyr barely managed to open his eyes and straighten back up. Perking up as the voice of Cinder Fall began to echo throughout the arena, they all glanced at each other as they listened, but no matter how much they looked at each other, their eyes were always drawn back to the center of the arena itself.

The sight in front of them all was haunting. A sight none of them could ever forget.

All eyes were on what had happened in the arena.

_Almost_ all eyes.

Ignoring the sounds from the arena for now, Shina burst through another maintenance door, entering a long and clear corridor, just in time for Mercury to casually step in through the other side. Shina barely made out the sight of a kneeling and collapsed Ruby through the door behind him, and the smirk on Mercury’s face only grew as the door swung shut and the two boys faced each other, cut off from the rest of the arena.

“Well alright then.” Mercury chuckled, bringing his hands up and sliding a foot back into a calm stance. “I couldn’t imagine a better way to start this off. I was hoping I'd get you.”

Blocking out all other sounds from outside the corridor, Shina let out the First Cut as he drummed his fingers on his blade and brought it ready.  
The only sound in the corridor was the hum of the lights, and the slow breathing of two fighters who knew what they were doing.

Gold eyes locked onto grey, and they both made a silent promise.

Only one of them was going to leave.  
The first fight of the night would end in blood.

+=+=+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are!  
> Let's see who of them are ready.  
> And who of them are not.
> 
> Also hey! 200k words in a little under a month!


	18. First Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Fall Of Beacon begins, SKTC and SPKZ are forced to split up as different areas of the city demand their attention. But with Shina and Chrystal left to fend for themselves in a city swarming with enemies, accidents are bound to happen. Meanwhile Delilah is forced to finally make the decision that could cost her everything in the service of her new queen.

As Cinder’s voice rang out through the arena, only Kylar was really able to pay attention to what she was saying. As Tacita recovered from using her Semblance so powerfully, Petyr sank into the network to track down where Cinder was using her scroll from, and Chrystal mostly sat in shock with wide eyes, staring down at Penny’s body in the arena. The more that Cinder spoke, the more dark validation Kylar felt for just how right they’d been in their theories and expectations, with her speech aiming direct hits at the weak spots in the pillars of what made the people feel safe, what the people trusted. Weak spots that had been eroded from years of strain, stress, and being picked away at.

Everything she said was worded in such a way that it would be easy to believe it.

And it was working, as the people got more and more shaken up. It was only a matter of time, maybe only moments, until the Grimm would arrive, he had no doubt about that. And when they reached them, that would be the start of what might be the longest night of any of their lives.  
Meanwhile Petyr was deep in the network, trying to track down where Cinder was broadcasting from, and when he got a general location he opened his eyes and returned to the physical world, his eyes immediately widening in panicked despair when he saw the body of his friend strewn around the arena. Chrystal grabbed his arm to snap him out of it, and they looked at each other with pale and scared faces.

Then the Grimm alarms went off, and they had bigger things to worry about.

Each of them looked up at the monitors as they did, the crowd immediately going into a panic as they clambered and piled over each other to get back to the airpads to be evacuated. But the Huntsmen in the stadium knew they had a job to do, and with a confident glance at each other the four of them stood, making their way down to the railing as a Nevermore did its best to smash in through the hardlight barrier of the arena ceiling.

Pyrrha stood frozen in the middle of the arena, still sharing at Penny’s body with shock, with _horror_ , written all over her face.

Meanwhile Petyr was forced to look away from the ceiling when the tablet in his hands lit up with warning lights, and he quickly unlocked it and tuned into the alert feed, his eyes widening.  
Two of the three gunships had gone offline. And it was Blue 2 that was left in the air.

The one that was holding Torchwick prisoner.

Opening his mouth to alert the others, he was interrupted as the Nevermore succeeded in its task and shattered through the ceiling, landing on the arena floor with enough force the entire stadium shook from the impact. Without hesitating a moment, all four of them grabbed their scrolls to call in their lockers, now able to with the ceiling being deactivated.  
Petyr swung over the railing and landed easily on the arena floor, quickly grabbing his pack from his locker once it landed, helping to pin down the giant bird, and he strapped his harness on and his wrist pad on his arm before sprinting over to the remains of Penny, patting around until he found what he was looking for; a small section of her cranium that was still blinking.

_“Penny? Are you still there?”_

_“Petyr? What has happened? It is very dark...I believe that my body has been destroyed. That is the last thing I remember. It hurt very, very much...is that true?”_

_“I’m sorry Penny. It’s true. You’re currently sealed inside of your memory core in order to preserve you. We’re going to get you back to your dad in Atlas, okay?”_

_“...I’m going to be in the dark and cold for a while, aren’t I...”_

_“I’m sorry Penny. I’m so sorry…”_

_“It is alright. But please say goodbye to Ruby for me. I hope to see her again if my father rebuilds me.”_

_“I will. But you can go dormant for now, Penny. Preserve your power. I’ll get you home.”_

_“Tell Miss Nikos that it is alright. From her final expression, I do not believe she knew what she had done.”_

_“I will. Sleep well Penny.”_

Returning to the waking world with less than a second having passed, he choked back his grief as he slipped Penny’s memory core into his satchel for safekeeping, determined to return her to Atlas so she could be repaired, or at the very least uploaded and preserved, even if he had to build the server banks himself.  
Chrystal appeared next to him with her hand on his shoulder, her gear already on, and she gave him an urgent but curious look.

“We have to go. Grimm are on the arena, and we need to clear them if we’re to get the civilians out of here safely.”

Nodding, he tapped his pad to wake up his drones, all five hovering above him, before the four of them ran to the preparation room to meet up with Sunny and Shina. But when they reached it, only Sunny was there, looking fit to fight the moment he was to be unleashed.

“Where’s Shina?” Chrystal looked around anxiously, a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other, and her eyes widened when Sunny answered.

“We heard a gunshot and he went to investigate it, just at the start of the match.” Sunny answered worriedly, bringing out his own blade and giving a reassuring look to Petyr, who returned it. 

Chrystal swore, and turned to the others. “Get to the ground, and meet up with Kirian and Zav. I’ll go grab Shina.”

‘You sure?” Kylar spun Myriadisca’s top chamber out of anxiety, not so much questioning her decision as much as he was just asking out of habit, and she nodded firmly.

“Go. We’ll meet you down there.”

She gave Petyr one last look and pulled him in for a brief but deep kiss, before stepping back slightly. “Be safe. I’ll be down soon.”

“You better. I love you.”

“Love you too.” She smiled, before immediately sprinting off in the direction that Sunny pointed her in, grabbing her scroll before turning the corner and vanishing from sight.

Watching the direction she vanished in, Petyr hesitated for a moment before Sunny grabbed his shoulder to bring him back to reality.

“We have to move. We have a job to do. She’ll be okay.”

“Right...you’re right.” Petyr nodded hesitantly, but his confidence came back as the four of them ran towards the airbay just in time for Kylar to fling a gravity wave at a beowulf and send it flying off into space to tumble to the ground far below.

While Sunny, Kylar, and Tacita all hopped onto the airship that was escorting the students down into the fight, Petyr merely had one of his drones attach to his back and he leapt off the edge of the arena to fly his way down towards where his teammates had agreed would be the rendezvous point.  
Seeing as Kirian and Zav were dealing with being gradually surrounded by Grimm, Petyr simply attached a drone to each arm and blasted a number of them away as he landed in between his two teammates, giving them both serious looks as the three of them got to work.

“What have we got, Kirian?” Petyr called over his shoulder without turning to look, instead focusing on his aim.

“Grimm, White Fang, and mercenaries. Just like we predicted. And Blue One and Blue Three are down. Paladins and Knights are still active though.”

“They’re running off the communication tower’s network while in Beacon.” Petyr replied, switching his right arm to its blade mode to slice through a sabyr’s head before using his jetpack to add thrust as he drove his knee into a beowulf’s face, then immediately executing it.

As three more beowulf’s approached, they didn’t have time to deal with them before all three were stuck with arrows and disintegrated on the spot, the three others jogging over to them. Tacita pulled Petyr aside.

“Kylar’s parents said they’ll help establish a safe zone on the outskirts, do you think you could ping their scrolls or something and find it for us?”

“I can get a general area, why?”

“I suspect they aren’t going to be left alone for very long, and Kylar and I want to go help clear the area up.” Tacita thinned her lips as her eyes narrowed for a brief moment. “Tell me.”

Closing his eyes and tuning in to the local network again, a finger on his pad which was now linked to the tablet in his satchel, he looked around until he found Logan and Tesse’s scrolls and he nodded. “South airpads, on the far side of what I think is the tourist commercial district?”

“Thank you. Good luck.” Tacita grabbed his shoulder in thanks for a moment before nodding to Kylar, the two of them jogging off in the direction he had pointed them towards.

Team SPKZ stood around for a moment, all looking to Sunny as their team leader thought over their situation.

“Alright, with the campus covered, our focus should be the festival grounds, that’s where all the kids would have been.”

“Lead the way.” Kirian shrugged in agreement, and as Sunny ran off towards the festival, they all followed, easily keeping up, with Petyr making sure to hover slightly overhead to have a better view, his drones spreading out around them and constantly scanning for data to feed to him.

The city was on fire, and there was no escaping the sound of gunfire, screams, and the growls of Grimm. It was the gunfire that was the most disconcerting to them.  
It would only be a matter of time, likely minutes, until they would be fighting _people_ . And that meant it was only a matter of time until each of them would likely take a human life for the first time, and certainly not the last before the night was done.  
But they were Atlas trained, and it had been a part of their training that this was sometimes a horrific but necessary part of the job, especially if you were to go straight into the military from the Academy, which three of the four of them had intended on doing, with only Zav being the exception.

So, it was what it was, and as they approached the noise and chaos of the fairgrounds they each gave each other the same looks, knowing it was almost time.

And it was going to be hell.

+=+=+

Staring each other in the maintenance corridor, Mercury and Shina had both moved at the exact same time, the grey-haired assassin ducking low to drive a kick into Shina’s stomach, only for Shina to use his sword to push himself of the ground and over him, before dropping to slide down onto Mercury with all of his weight. Catching Shina’s blade with his boot, Mercury’s smirk vanished as he groaned under the force, only for Shina to suddenly break off the attack and skid back with his guard up.

Kicking up to his feet, Mercury used the propulsion of his leg blasters to fire forward into a roundhouse kick he didn’t expect to connect, immediately dancing to his other leg and going to kick Shina in the gut, before having to duck out and spin out of the way of Shina’s rapid slicing speed.  
Mercury was fast, and accurate, but he wasn’t half as fast as Chrystal, and Shina was used to fighting far faster agile fighters. But he was far smarter than Chrystal was, and he learned. Both of them chipped away at each other's defenses slowly, learning more and more about each other as they went.

Eventually, as he found Shina's pattern, Mercury’s smirk returned, and Shina’s own face relaxed as the fight entered what would be the rhythm for the rest of their clash, which mostly included Shina’s blade being deflected while Mercury’s attacks were so inaccurate due to Shina’s enhanced speed that the corridor was taking most of the damage from his powerful kicks and the blasters on his legs.

A strong slice from Shina got into Mercury’s guard and he had to raise his arms to block it, the blade slicing cleanly along his arms and crackling his aura. Bringing his arms down as he created distance, Mercury nodded in satisfaction.

“You’re as good as your reputation says, man.”

“And you’re not as good as your ego claims.” Shina raised an eyebrow as he sped in again, not giving Mercury time to get his balance properly. 

But, internally, he knew that Mercury was just as good as he was, and his aura had taken enough hits to prove that.  
The fight was scarily even, and both of them seemed to know it was going to turn into a slugfest of brutal proportions, especially once they both lost aura and blood started to cover the corridor. But they weren’t at that point yet, which Shina was thankful for as a blast from Mercury during a complicated four kick spin punched into his shoulder from touch range and spun him from the force, his aura sparking heavily enough the sound echoed.

Backing off, they squared off again, each of them constantly taking stock of the other and mentally tearing apart everything the other was capable of. In most respects, they were equals, but Mercury was slower, and Shina had no ranged offense meanwhile Mercury did. Those two differences seemed to offset each other, grinding things to a stalemate again and again as they always ended up back at a distance reassessing each other.

“Gotta say. I was expecting you to start giving me hero lines by now.” Mercury smirked, flexing his fingers and knuckles.

“You’re fighting the wrong team member. Go find Kylar.” Shina answered coldly, his voice entirely dispassionate as he kept focus. As Mercury eyed him up, he couldn’t help but notice that _this_ Shina, fighting to the death, and the Shina from the arena, seemed to be two entirely different people. His eyes narrowed.

“Ugh, way to suck the fun out of it.”

Sighing in over exaggerated frustration, Mercury closed the gap again and triple-kicked, bouncing off Shina’s sword to try and bring his foot down on Shina’s head only for Shina to move _in_ instead of backwards and barge his shoulder into Mercury while he was still slightly in the air, knocking him off balance just in time for Shina’s foot to sink into his gut and send him backwards.  
As they both swung again, Shina’s blade and Mercury’s foot were less than a moment away from clashing when Shina released the Second Cut and moved his blade out of the way just enough for it to scrape along Mercury’s cybernetic and cut into his side, viciously cutting a chunk out of his aura with Mercury getting off a blast at close range that Shina mostly avoided as distance grew again, Mercury somersaulting backwards onto his feet with a glare even as his aura stabilised, but still heavily damaged.

“Okay, now you’re changing things up again. Finally. But how long can you hold it? We both know you can’t sustain it forever.”

“Then I better finish things up.” Shina raised an eyebrow, before both of them were momentarily distracted by the sound of running footsteps, and the clashing of blades and gunfire outside in a nearby corridor.

“Sounds like things are kicking off properly.” Mercury chuckled, bouncing on his feet and looking back to Shina, preparing to move in again, only to pause as Shina’s skin grew even paler and dark circles appeared around the gold in his eyes, the Third Cut opening.

“Not in your favour.” Even Shina’s voice sounded colder. “Because I know those guns.”

Bringing Hornet’s Kiss back, he pushed as much of his aura as he could into his arms to compensate for the damage as he was about to do to himself. As Mercury shot himself forward to close the distance and cut off the swing, Shina brought his blade forward with his full-strength, smashing into Mercury’s outstretched kicking leg and causing the horrific groan of twisting metal as the aura-reinforced steel of his sword smashed into the steel of Mercury’s cybernetics. A ripple went through both of their auras just before Mercury was sent flying backwards with enough force that the door behind him shattered into splinters as he was sent sprawling through it.

“Mercury!” Emerald looked over from where she was staring down Chrystal, and widened her eyes at her teammate. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Em. Stick to the plan.” Mercury stumbled to his feet, an arm around his torso as he watched Shina step out into the main hallway itself, Chrystal immediately going to Shina's side as the two duos stood across from each other.

“That’s why I’m here. Come on. Let’s go.” Emerald began to back up slowly, not looking away from her opponents even as Mercury objected and stood his ground.

“Not a chance, he’s as beaten up as I am.”

“But _she’s not_.”

"Oh come on, we can take them."

_"Mercury! We don't have time!"_

Emerald hissed, glaring at Chrystal who simply raised an eyebrow at her. It hadn’t mattered what Emerald had put into her head, Chrystal had always been able to dodge and block despite it. It was like she always _knew_ where the real attacks were coming from. Even bullets.

“Come on. We have to meet up with Cinder. We’re late.” Emerald spoke with a slightly firmer voice, still not taking her eyes off of Shina and Chrystal as she grabbed Mercury’s arm.

The boy matched glares with Shina for a few moments, and he almost went to object again, before he snarled in frustration.

“Fine. I almost hope you survive this, blondie. So that we can finish this later. Let’s get out of here.”

Shina and Chrystal watched as Emerald and Mercury vanished from in front of them, Emerald clearly hiding them, and Chrystal flourished her blades just in case Emerald tried anything as a parting gift. Narrowing her eyes when she accepted they were truly alone, she nodded to him, and he immediately closed his cuts and slumped. But his arms weren’t nearly as damaged as they were when he had used the Third against Biatriss, his body getting used to the strain every time he used it.

“Come on. We...the fight’s already started. We have to go.” Chrystal sheathed one of her blades and put her hand on Shina’s arm to snap him out of it, and with a quiet nod he followed her as she took off again.

Following Chrystal out at a run through the halls of the arena, they jumped onto one of the arena airjets on standby and hit the depart button for the automated ship to get them down to the ground.

“What the hell was that about?” Chrystal asked hurriedly as she rapidly reloaded.

“Bumped into him just before everything kicked off. It looked as if he’d just finished whaling on Ruby so I put two and two together. What the hell happened?”

“...Pyrrha killed Penny. By accident. Emerald caused it again, apparently. Then the attack started, the Grimm first, then the White Fang and...that’s what we’re going to go help with right now. That’s the gist...”

“Fuck…” Shina slumped back against the wall of the jet as it touched down into a landing, the doors opening again. “...Penny...fuck, _Pyrrha_ … Alright. Step by step. Where are the others?”

“I don’t know. But most of the fighting is on campus grounds. That seems to be the main target.”

“Then we’re going to campus grounds.” Shina shrugged, nudging Chrystal’s shoulder with his own for a moment and giving her a small strained smile. “Let’s get this done, Chrysalis.”

“I’m right by your side, Wasp.” Chrystal smiled back sadly, before the two of them set off at a swift run towards campus grounds.

Crossing through into one of the major intersections of the city, Chrystal easily brought her blade up to block an almost lazy swing from a White Fang member, who she immediately kicked in the crotch before pistol whipping the side of his head, letting off another air bullet at the street below another man’s feet before leaping up to meet him mid-air and bring her foot down on his head, crunching him to the ground. Bringing her blade up again, a bullet bounced from it, and she went to retaliate just to watch the man be smacked across the road by the flat of Shina’s blade to his face.  
Quickly replacing her air bullet magazine with slightly less destructive and more plentiful regular bullets, she glanced over to where Shina was buying her time to do it by knocking out another terrorist.

“I’m starting to feel like they don’t like us.”

“No?” Shina blocked another swing from one only for the man to take a bullet to the gut and his weak aura to shatter, tumbling to the ground for Shina to simply kick in the head.

The two of them kept making their way towards the campus, where they could clearly hear the sound of heavy fighting, the chaos was gradually growing more horrific. Despite their desire to keep their eyes off of the bodies that were dotted around the roads, they kept giving in and glancing down at them, their faces tightening whenever they recognised someone. But they forced those emotions and thoughts down, instead pushing forward and getting to work, forced to fight to create a path towards the grounds.

Another group of White Fang emerged from a side-street, and Chrystal growled in her throat before getting to work, chasing them as the group busted down the door of one of the apartment buildings close to campus and flooded inside. Narrowing her eyes, Chrystal chased in after them, getting to the center of the stairwell and kicking off with all her might to bounce from railing to railing, easily dropping onto one of the third floor landings, above where the group had yet to reach, and kicking the leading member in the gut to send him sprawling back down the stairs, knocking down others behind him like bowling pins.

Blocking a sword swing from one man, she acted on instinct and twisted him in front of her so that a shotgun blast meant for her smashed into him instead, shattering his aura, and she kicked him to the wall before hopping over and shattering the shotgun with her blade before swiping the shooter’s legs out from under him and hitting him on the back of the head with her pistol to keep him down. With three White Fang members to go, they were backing down the stairs onto the ground landing, and she simply swung over the landing and dropping down in front of them, spinning her pistol in her hand and raising her eyebrow in challenge.

The two men closest to her glanced at each other before charging, and she deflected a metal pipe with her sword before driving her knee into the other man’s gut and cracking him in the middle of his face with her elbow. The man with the metal pipe had recovered, meanwhile the third figure had brought up a large shotgun. Widening her eyes as the adrenaline spike hit her, she dropped her sword and grabbed the free arm of the man wielding the pipe and tugged him to throw him off balance, before raising her pistol at an angle and shooting the shotgunner in the gut, the man’s aura shattering and he dropped, before she dropped the man she was yanking onto the ground and followed it up with a shot to the chest.

But no aura crackled. 

The bullet went straight through flesh with a horrific sound, and her eyes widened as she looked down, the man only twitching a few moments longer due to the perfect shot, then going completely still at her feet.

Frozen, unable to blink, unable to breathe, she looked down at his body. Shaking slightly, she looked at her gun and then back down to the body, her mouth opening and closing slightly over and over again wordlessly.

It was like time ceased to exist as she looked down at the body, and then at her gun, but then back down at her body. It was unnaturally still, the last twitches having stopped. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t look away from him. From what she’d done. Why was something with an unawakened aura fighting a city of Huntsmen? That was insane, that was _suicide_.

Apparently.

Hesitantly, she reached down and pulled off the man’s White Fang mask, feeling ice cold as she looked at his cold and dead brown eyes, staring off into nothing. What could possibly motivate someone to be here knowingly at such a disadvantage? What was the point? What could be worth that level of risk?

But, it wasn’t like those questions mattered anymore. The others of his companions would likely wake up eventually, but he wouldn’t. Which was a strange thought.

She looked at her gun again.

...she’d done that. It felt weird to think, weird to acknowledge. It hit some part of her training in her mind, and her awareness began to rally, but it was dulled and muted as she simply blinked.

A figure jogged through the apartment building door and skidded to a stop right in front of her.

“Oh. Oh shit.”

Alice carefully stepped forward and put a hand on Chrystal’s shoulder, glancing over her shoulder to wave off when the rest of her team went to come in as well.

“Go find one of her teammates! They’re likely nearby.”

Lily nodded and jogged off, Angel following, meanwhile Lucy remained behind and kept an eye on the street around them.

“Chrystal? Honey?..” Alice spoke softly, taking another step closer slowly. Chrystal blinked again and looked up at her with eyes that were tearing up from going dry.

“I...he didn’t have an aura.” She whispered, and Alice sighed, sliding her shotguns back into her belt and placing a hand on Chrystal’s back. “I...the rest of them did…”

“Not all of them do. I’m sorry. I really am. But we can’t stop here. We have to keep going.”

“...fight’s not done.” Chrystal muttered to herself, weakly coming back to herself slightly at Alice’s words and leaning down to pick up her sword with shaking fingers.

“Fight’s not done. I’m sorry. You need to block it out, until after things are done here. Then we’re _all_ going to need to go through it.” Alice hesitated for a moment before showing her hands, and how they were covered in splatters of blood, with drops as far up as her elbows. “It’s just going to be a part of tonight.”

“...I…” Chrystal blinked a few times, before her training finally kicked in at Alice’s coaxing and awareness came back to her eyes, and she nodded. Looking into Alice’s eyes, she bit her lip and her eyes steeled. “You’re right. Okay. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I froze up too, it was only fifteen minutes ago maybe. Only Lily and I have...well, you know. So far. But we have to keep going.”

There were footsteps up into the building as Shina entered, sliding his blade onto his back as he came over to the two and his face saddened. When Chrystal looked at him, she saw splatters of blood on his armour and in his hair, and her eyes teared up.

“You too?”

“...yeah. But we can’t grind to a halt. Not yet.” Shina sighed, pulling Chrystal into a quick hug that was interrupted by Shina’s scroll ringing.

Blinking before quickly pulling it out, he frowned to see the name of Istyr from Team BRGT calling, so he put it on loudspeaker and answered.

“Istyr, where do you need us?”

 _“Oh thank god you’re alive. We’re on the east courtyard on campus, things have faltered here. Badly. We’re fighting...I don’t even know. They’re not Grimm, but they’re not human either. They_ **_look_ ** _human though. They’re pushing us back.”_

Pausing for a moment, Shina looked to Chrystal, whose eyes had widened and a small glimmer of fire had returned to her eyes. Looking up at him, she nodded in agreement, and Lucy nodded as well that LAVA would join them.

“We’re on our way.”

_“Thank you. We...things are bad. Shina…”_

“What? Talk to me.”

_“We’ve lost Ysgar and Boral. They’re...gone.”_

His blood turning to ice, Shina closed his eyes as it hit him and he felt Chrystal go rigid next to him. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he let the cold steel that his father had trained him to have slide over his mind.

“We’re on our way as fast as we can, and we’ll call Kylar and Tacita. Two minutes out.”

_“Thank you. Thank you.”_

Hanging up his scroll, he slid it back into his pocket before wrapping an arm around Chrystal to squeeze here for a few moments before she’d have to snap back to reality and get to work. From near the door, Lucy spoke up.

“You knew them?”

“Yeah...Team Bright are friends.” Shina sighed, closing his eyes again for a few moments.

“...I’m sorry.” Lucy sighed, stepping over to the pair and giving them both a sad yet determined look. “Let’s go push those monsters back then. Fuck em. No more.”

As Chrystal stepped away from Shina and spun her pistol in her hand, Shina drew his sword once again and rested it on his shoulder.

“Let’s do this.”

“We’ll follow your lead.” 

Lucy glanced around at the rest of her team, before nodding at Shina, following him and Chrystal when they jogged out of the door and started the way up towards the eastern courtyard. 

+=+=+

Picking up the White Fang member by the throat and easily throwing him with enough force he cleared several blocks and likely shattered his spine on impact with the closest wall, Lelise kicked up a piece of rubble from the ground and brought it down onto a beowulf’s head, bursting it, before kicking that same piece of rubble like a football into the chest of another White Fang member with enough forced his ribcage shattered and he dropped dead.

“Incoming!” 

Delilah wrapped her chain around an ursa down the street and yanked it in towards them, and Lelise brought a fist back and shattered the creature as soon as it was in range. Nodding in satisfaction at the clearing on the street they had, Lelise glanced over at Delilah with a smile. The two of them were covered in a liberal amount of blood and gore from several different sources, and neither of them were letting it bother them, and likely wouldn’t until after the fight.

Grinning back, Delilah rolled her shoulders to loosen them up before checking the chains of her grappling whips. “You a bit tired yet?”

“Well I’m certainly peckish.” Lelise smirked, and Delilah rolled her eyes, looking around at the Atlesian Knights and the two Paladins that were keeping most of the street they were on clear.

Taking the brief moment to rest and get some aura back, Lelise checked her gloves to see if they were holding, and was satisfied that they were. Dust infused fabric and metal was ruthlessly expensive, but they were one-off investments, unlike weapon components and ammo like other Huntsmen needed to constantly buy. Lelise’s gloves gave her metal knuckles that could perfectly transfer the force behind her hits into her targets, and it had devastating results.  
The unfortunate buildings of the street were testament to that, considering the state of many of them from her being able to fight without restraints, with all the civilians having been evacuated from this particular area yet it still being a hotspot for grimm and White Fang trying to get into the city proper.

Cracking her knuckles, she turned to Delilah. “Think the others are okay?”

“Ursa and Cypher? Of course. They’re tougher than _we_ are.” Delilah shrugged, giving a confident smile as she clicked the arm mounts for her whips and retracted them.

When every Knight around them beeped strangely in the same moment, the Paladins beeping less than a moment later, and they all turned to face Lelise and Delilah with red interfaces that had been white only a split second ago, the two girl’s snarled as Lelise didn’t hesitate to grab the closest one just as it raised its gun and ripping it in shreds.

“Lelise, get the Paladins! I’ve got these handled.” Delilah extended her spiked whips again and elegantly swung and spun them around, rending metal into shreds with each movement of her arm, as Knights both close and far were torn apart. 

A satisfied smile was on her face the entire time, enjoying every moment. But the smile faded when she realised what it meant and what it was a signal of for her, and she began to take deep breaths to steel and prepare herself as she retracted the whips just in time to hear Lelise punch the second Paladin so hard it practically disintegrated, with screws and sheets of metal flying over buildings from the force of the hit. The street was entirely empty and silent, and Delilah thinned her lips as she nodded in acceptance to herself, her eyes flicking up to the last remaining gunship.

Lelise made her way back to her, wiping the metal dust from her gloves, and nodding in satisfaction at the completely empty street. “We’re done here, it seems. Nice work. Barely a dent and I could already use a nap.”

“I know the feeling.” Delilah stepped up next to her and sighed, looking out and around the city that they could see. “...hell of a two years we’ve had since arriving here, huh?”

“Certainly not boring. I wonder how the city, how the _Academy_ , could recover from this though? This is far more fucked up than I thought I’d ever see.” Lelise gave out a dry and bewildered laugh as she cracked her knuckles.

“Any regrets?” Delilah glanced over at her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

“Hmm? Nah. It’s just going to be one hell of a clean-up job.”

Nodding sadly, Delilah squeezed her friend’s hand again before closing her eyes for a moment, Lelise gasping next to her before going mostly still, her muscles tightening and freezing as Delilah's aura seeped into them like an infection, wrapping around them to choke them and hold heer steady.

“...Delilah?” Lelise managed to get out through mostly paralysed muscles, simply being far too physically powerful for Delilah to paralyse completely like she could anyone else. Lelise's physical strength was legendary, dangerous enough she was one of the few students who the Academy had placed limitations on how much they could use their Semblance. It made her a terrifying opponent. But not an invincible one.  
But still, she was strong, and no matter how hard Delilah tightened her grip on her body Delilah couldn't hold her still entirely.

“I’m sorry. I really am.” Turning to face her but still holding onto her hand, Delilah watched as Lelise gradually pushed to move, and she put a bit more weight onto her aura to stop her, Lelise grinding to a halt again. “...thank you. For everything. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Wincing as she strained against the paralysis on her muscles and joints, Lelise called her own aura to the surface and was still able to move, but she didn’t have any time to do anything with it before Delilah cupped her face with her free hand and gave her a sad yet loving look.

“You mean more to me than anybody. More than anybody else ever has. But, I had to make the deal, and this was part of it I couldn’t negotiate out of.”

Pressing her fingers to Lelise’s cheek, she pushed her Semblance into the impossibly strong girl’s body and, not wanting her to suffer, simply severed her nervous system. Catching her friend as she dropped, Delilah cradled her in her lap, closing her eyes and swallowing down the lump in her throat as she made sure to close Lelise’s eyes, before running fingers through her hair.

“Thank you for everything. And for everything you’ll still be doing for me.”

Taking the fingers that were stroking Lelise’s hair and instead putting them around the back of the girl’s head, Delilah concentrated for a moment as she carefully severed a section of the girl’s brain inside her skull, before peeling open the back of her head and gently depositing the perfectly cut and extracted chunk of brain into her hand. Sealing the wound back up again, Delilah laid Lelise down on her lap again and kissed her forehead softly, before taking a jar from her bag and placing the section of brain inside of it.

Hesitating only a moment longer, she scooped up Lelise’s body in her arms and stood, grabbing her scroll from her pocket.

“Ursa? Ursa we have an emergency. An absolute emergency.”

_“D? What’s up, what’s wrong?”_

“It’s Lelise. She’s...she’s down.”

_“...Down as in wounded…?”_

“Down as in….”

_“...Oh god...where are you??”_

“Central road of the eastern district. A few blocks down from the courtyard.”

_“I’m close by, but...Cypher’s currently taking some wounded to the medical point. I’ll message her to come to us.”_

“...got it. Please hurry.” Delilah ended in a whisper, before putting her scroll away and closing her eyes, starting the walk towards the road leading up to the Eastern Courtyard, a road which her children had managed to clear and keep empty, pushing the huntsmen back.

Feeling more of her children moving through the sewers, she smiled softly at the two she felt approaching, almost at her. But they weren’t particularly fast. Surrounded by collapsing and burning buildings, Delilah felt...utterly empty, holding her friend in her arms. Lelise had been a sister to her, and was heavy in her arms.  
The city she called home was being torn apart, and she had felt as her children had killed some of her classmates. She’d only lost eight of her children so far, and none of her newer ones were on the field yet. Soon though.  
But all the same, everything was burning, monsters were tearing through the streets, and people were being slaughtered. She let out a slow sigh.

The sound of fast heavy footsteps got her attention as Ursa turned her corner and ran over, her eyes wide and horrified as she reached her, looking down at Lelise cradled in Delilah’s arms. A broken sob got choked up in Ursa’s throat as she almost reached out to touch her friend’s body, before she hesitated.

Looking up from Lelise to Delilah for a moment, the two met sad eyes. “Was it quick?”

Delilah nodded, pointing towards the slaughtered battalion of Atlesian Knights. “While she was dealing with the Paladins. I...wasn’t fast enough.”

“...it’s not your fault.” Ursa sighed, and when Delilah gently put down Lelise’s body she knelt down next to her as well. “Cypher’s less than a minute out, but she’s not blinking much if she can help it. She’s saving her aura for emergency extractions.”

“Does she have much left?”

Sighing, still looking down at Lelise’s body, Ursa shook her head worriedly. “Barely anything. We’re both running on low. You?”

“Well I’ve been better.” Delilah answered quietly, stroking her fingers through Lelise’s hair a few more times before looking to Ursa.

A heartbeat later and the street beneath them rumbled and groaned, and while Ursa looked up in alarm Delilah wasn’t surprised at all, merely glancing at a certain spot in expectation as a hole burst in it and a viciously clawed hand reached up from the sewers below and crawled its way up, another soon following, as two of Delilah’s newer children heaved up onto the street with slackjawed and drooling mouths, finally joining the fight for the final push into the campus.

“I’m sorry Ursa.”

Unlike with Lelise, she didn’t have as many soft feelings for her touchy-feely teammate. But all the same, Ursa had been a good friend of hers for a year now, and had been the emotional lynchpin of their team. They had plenty of good memories together.

But…

While Ursa was distracted by the sight of her children, Delilah placed a hand on the woman’s neck while she was still kneeling, and Ursa’s eyes slackened, the woman lacking Lelise’s incredible strength and willpower, and Delilah caught her as she dropped. Sighing sadly, she pressed the same kiss to her forehead before placing her hand on the back of Ursa’s head and, closing her eyes, extracted the same section of brain, able to do the task as if her horrific children weren’t even there.

But she was broken out of her focus when a peculiar ripple went through the air around her, and she felt the most bizarre sense of fear vibrating around her, and even her children seemed to shiver from it. Looking up and around, her eyes zoned in on where Cypher was now standing at the same street corner that Ursa had come from.  
And the air around the girl was practically ebbing and pulsing, pink hair shimmering and green eyes shining as her hands gripped her chakrams with all of her might. Delilah noticed the girl was also splattered with dark red blood.

Delilah placed Ursa down gently and stood, facing her team leader, her face sad and yet determined as she stared Cypher down, carefully keeping an eye on the other girl’s eyes for when she’d teleport. As far as the two friends were aware, the rest of the city stopped existing, as Cypher’s entire world fell apart at the sight in front of her, and the realisations she was having to make. The _trust_ she’d…

How long had…  
Why? And…

She glanced down at Lelise and Ursa, laid at Delilah’s feet. At the feet of monsters.

The questions didn’t matter. She spun her chakrams in her hands.

“I’m sorry C.” Delilah said softly, pleadingly, her eyes heavy with grief but steeled in determination as well. Her two children next to her stretched in preparation. “I wish I had a way for you to understand. But I need what She can give me. I don't know how I can try and make you understand that it's worth it. It really is.”

Cypher merely narrowed her eyes in a hateful snarl, a tear leaking down her right cheek as she took in the bodies of her two friends, and she vanished, Delilah forced to duck out of the way as a chakram sliced where her neck had just been, Cypher then vanishing again before Delilah’s child could slash at her, the poor thing being too slow.  
Appearing behind said child, Cypher sliced at its legs only to blink when her blade simply bounced off, barely even denting the skin. Her eyes widening, she blinked away again just in time before she was hit, and Delilah skidded back again, flashing a hand forward, and Cypher blinked away the barest millimeter before Delilah would have made contact.

Pausing for a brief moment up on the broken roof of a nearby building that had clearly been a victim of Lelise, Cypher glared vehemently down at her enemy while Delilah glanced around trying to find her. Fighting Delilah in hand to hand was _viciously_ dangerous, because you couldn’t let her lay a single finger on you, _ever_.

The moment she got _one touch_ in, you were dead. Meanwhile her two horrific monstrous pets were as solid as trying to stab a concrete wall.

But ranged wouldn’t work either. Delilah was too damn clever and her reflexes too damn good. If she caught one of her chakrams, then Cypher wouldn’t be able to recall it to her hand without pulling Delilah to her as well.

And with only enough aura in for a handful of blinks, even over such short distances…

Delilah looked up and found her, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes, and both were entirely different shades of green and yet both were pulsing from their aura being so close to the surface.

One of the monsters brought an arm around and smashed it into the last fully intact wall of the building Cypher was resting on, and she leapt from it as the structure finally collapsed, landing in an easy roll and then bouncing backwards as the other monster reached for her. When she suddenly found herself wrapped in Delilah’s chains, restrained and with the savage hooks cutting into her to hold her still, she silently snarled at the woman before simply blinking out of them, appearing behind the other woman and getting a solid slice in across her back, crackling her green aura, before she had to immediately blink away again to avoid the large clawed hand that had almost grabbed her.

Appearing in the atrium of a mostly destroyed office building, she looked up at the monster lumbering towards her and flicked one of her chakrams at it in a test, unsurprised when it simply bounced off of the creature's skin. Activating the gravity dust in her glove, the chakram responded and returned to her hand.  
The creature reached her and took a swing, and she ducked out of the way for it to smash through a support column in the center of the room. Skipping back a few steps, her back hit a wall, and the creature kept coming towards her as the wall nearest to her shattered and crumbled, the second monster stepping in. Looking around, she eyed up the three remaining major columns in the room before rolling out of the way and in front of one of them.

Clearly these monsters were stupid, but they were tough, and almost as strong as a restrained Lelise.

One of the creatures reached her and lunged, and she rolled out of the way and extended a leg to trip it up, causing it to crash into the column and break it, chunks of rubble coming from the ceiling and floors above down onto it. A gross cracking and crunching resounded in the room from something inside of the being breaking, and Cypher kept an eye on the other one even as she felt some satisfaction, especially as the creature managed to stand back to its feet but with a horribly mangled arm.

With such a structurally unsound building, it didn’t surprise Cypher that Delilah hadn’t followed her in here. So it was just her, and the two horrors.

Both creatures charged for her at the same time, but from slightly different directions, so while she rolled out of the way of one of them to have it crash into the third column, she had to blink out of reach of the other, but with her aura so weak the blink was slower than normal and she felt the bones of her right leg crack as it grabbed at the last moment.

Appearing in the new location, she watched the last shards of her pink aura shatter and vanish around her, leaving her totally vulnerable and sitting up against one of the weak interior walls, her right leg horribly broken. Swearing silently, she eyed up Delilah outside of the building watching her with a sad and cold expression as her monsters approached the downed Cypher to retrieve her. To do to her whatever it was that Cypher had watched her do to Ursa, too late to stop her. Whatever it was, Cypher had _no_ intention of allowing it to happen, even if stopping it was a last act of victory.  
Which it was going to be. But she was more angry than she was scared.

Snarling in defiance, Cypher looked around urgently to consider her options, and when her eyes landed on the last remaining column, with massive chunks of the building already falling in a constant slide as it stayed to remain upright, she sucked in a breath at the weak condition that the support beam was already in, already mangled and bent and practically destroyed already as the weight of the building pressed down onto it.  
Closing her eyes for two of the few seconds she had left to spare, she centered herself, and relaxed her mind as much as possible. She wished she had the time to make peace with it. To think of everything that had happened, to picture some regrets, to remember some good times. Dancing. Fighting. Laughing.

Chrystal.

But she didn't have time.  
The two horrors she was fighting were clearly too strong for ordinary weapons, but the sheer weight of rubble was enough to damage them. It meant that they would be too much of a match for most Huntsmen.

 _Lelise_ would have had a chance, but...she hadn’t been given one. Plenty out in the school were still alive though, Cypher had seen them, and on most fronts they’d been pushing the enemy back. But with a mangled leg, no aura, no backup, and no teammates left?

Yeah, she could feel it in every part of herself. Cypher was done.

And...that was okay. It felt like it was _meant_ to be okay.

Just...didn’t want it to be like _this_.

_‘We never get to choose though.’_ She sighed, taking another deep breath in and letting it out slowly. _‘I’m okay with ending up here. I might only be able to take these two monsters with me, but Chrystal is going to tear you apart for me, D. I_ _know_ _she will.’_

Cypher opened her eyes and looked over at Delilah, the other girl then frowning at whatever she saw in her expression.

Bringing an arm back, she threw her chakrams around for them to bounce off one of the walls and smash into the back of the support beam, the razor sharp and strong edge biting into the weakened metal rebar.

As Delilah’s eyes widened, Cypher felt a small _small_ glint of satisfaction. She activated the dust in her glove and pulled the chakrams towards her with every ounce of strength she had. The weakened and damaged metal support finished its crumple, and it gave. Despite taking a last moment to roll underneath a desk as her weapons returned to her hands, she knew it was only made of wood so it was a token gesture as the few remaining support walls gave out and the building came down around her, crushing both monsters into pulp. But for Cypher, smacked in the forehead by a crashing piece of rubble, all there was, was darkness.

On the street outside, Delilah watched with horrified eyes as her team leader, her friend, sacrificed herself just to bring down two of her strongest children. Biting her lip, she looked at the sheer amount of rubble, at the sheer weight of it, and she closed her eyes at the loss of three of those close to her heart in one moment.

But such an act from her friend truly shouldn’t have surprised her.

Giving one last look to the massive pile of rubble and shrapnel, Delilah grabbed her scroll from her pocket sadly.

“Cinder, it’s done.”

_“So soon?"_

“Yeah…” Delilah looked down at the two bodies at her feet, before looking at the collapsed building that was mostly just rocks. “All three. But Cypher beat me in the end though. I couldn’t get hers.”

_“A pity. But well done nonetheless. Now continue on. Now that our little teleporter is dealt with, things are simpler.”_

“...yeah.” Delilah sighed, wincing as the guilt threatened to hit her system, but she held it off by closing her eyes and breathing through it. “I’ll let my children run wild.”

_“Good. It’s almost time for me to take to the tower. We are almost finished here.”_

Hanging up her scroll, Delilah slid it back into her pocket before looking at the three remains of her teammates. Her home was on fire. The people she’d spoken to and seen every day were either dead or dying.  
And it wouldn’t be long before someone somehow figured out a way to link her to it all.  
No matter what happened next, no matter who won in the end, she was finished here.  
And it was unbearable.

But worth it.

Closing her eyes, she reached out to connect to all of her children, feeling them all spread around the city. They were dropping, and her weaker ones wouldn’t last much longer, not now that Shina and Lillian had taken to the field where most of her children were concentrated...she could see them. But her stronger ones, her great prides, were all soon to emerge.

Smiling softly to herself, she spoke to her children.

_“Tear it all to shreds. Bloodlust, my loves. Make me proud.”_

Opening her eyes again and letting her connection fade, she knelt down one last time to stroke Lelise’s hair and smile softly at her and Ursa, before casting a look over her shoulder to where Cypher had sacrificed herself.

Whispering a final goodbye to the three of them, she began to make her way towards the rooftop rendezvous point.

+=+=+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. This is war.


	19. Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle Of Beacon continues long into the night, and our surviving heroes only have so much time to save as many civilians as they can while trying to protect the home they love so much. But hard choices have to be made, because protecting the things they love the most often require the greatest sacrifices.

As a strangle ripple seemed to go through the Knights working alongside them to hold the fairgrounds until the civilians there could be safely evacuated, Petyr put a hand to his head in pain as he felt a sickly wave go through him. Shaking his head to clear the nausea, his eyes widened just in time for him to twist out of the way for a laser shot to fly through where his head had just been, bringing an arm up to blow the head off the Knight that had fired at him. Eyes widening at the infected interface of the robotic soldier, he immediately knew to spin on his heel and remove the heads of the three others that were alongside him, who had already been bringing up their rifles to shoot him in the back. Across the fairground he saw his three teammates thankfully respond in time to being betrayed, clearing the space around them.

But there were dozens of Knights with them. Even more civilians than that.

And when the shooting started en masse, there didn’t appear to be any descrimination between aiming for Huntsmen or the innocent people they were protecting. Flying into action, for every Knight that the Huntsmen in the grounds killed, three more huddling and cowering civilians dropped to the constant onslaught of fire.

Looking around at the chaos around him, all of them being taken by surprise, Petyr’s breath caught in his throat for a bare moment before he compelled himself to move again. Closing the distance to one of the Knights, he placed his hand on its chest and focused.

The internal programming of the machine was completely corrupted, but in the most perfectly finessed ways. Finding each infected and corrupted line of code, he noticed more and more that nothing unnecessary was touched. 

It was a perfect job. He couldn’t have done better himself, and he could talk to technology straight with his mind.

Narrowing his eyes, he grit his teeth and dove further, scanning his mind along the lines and feeling out all the Knights in the local network, managing to locate the two dozen still in the fairgrounds but unable to reach many more than that. Grabbing onto the core network connection, he yanked on it and snapped it, feeling the Knight he was interfacing with shut down and die.  
Returning to the waking world, he watched as the nearby Knights all went dormant, slumping to the ground as a wave went through them. But of the hundreds of Knights active in the city, he couldn’t be everywhere at once. And he didn’t want to imagine what was happening out there.

Snapping out of it when the rest of his team quietly made his way over to him, each of them looking around the fairground at the bodies now littering the grass...there wasn’t much they could think to say. What had been a couple hundred civilians were now gone. Apart from the hum of music coming from a crackling radio at a nearby stall, the fairground was entirely silent. No longer and murmuring or whispering or crying.

“I wasn’t fast enough…never am.” Petyr closed his eyes and looked away, a thick nausea grabbing onto his stomach again. 

Anyone who knew him would have found him unrecognisable by now. The normally peaceful and well-kept boy was splattered in blood and grime, and none of the blood was his own, his aura still intact. A blade on his right arm dripped red, he was down to four drones, the four drones attached to him, and his eyes were dulled and distant. Looking around the fairground again, his eyes slowly opening, he took in the carnage of innocent civilians, including the once laughing children who had been on the carnival rides, now charred and bleeding, strewn about as some had risen to flee from the corrupted Knights that had found moving targets as easy to hit as stationary ones.

Next to him, Kirian coldly looked around the fairgrounds as well, his face so stilled and cold it could almost represent marble, his pale hazel eyes shimmering silver with his aura as he studied every inch of what had happened with his Semblance, analysing and understanding it all to the best of his abilities. While it meant he would never forget a single detail of what he was seeing, it gave him a chance of figuring out what had happened.

“What caused them to turn?”

“A virus in the network. The signal was too distant to feel from a single Knight, so I couldn’t remove it. All I could do was sever the ability for the local Knights to connect to the command network. But it won’t last forever.” Petyr glanced over at him, and Kirian nodded in understanding before both turned to Sunny and Zav.

“Get the other Huntsmen to help you make sure each drone is destroyed, no matter how dormant it seems. They’ll wake up again eventually.” Petyr instructed Sunny, who silently obeyed and went to speak to the two other Huntsmen teams in the area, Zav darting off to speak to the other one.

“So can you remove the virus from the whole network?”

“Not from here. I’d need to do it from a central point. So…” Petyr glanced up at the one remaining gunship, and then across at the city broadcasting tower. “One of the two. Blue 2, or the tower.”

“You’d be going up to the gunship alone. So, no on that one.”

“Meanwhile the broadcast tower is going to be surrounded.” Petyr narrowed his eyes in thought, deliberately shutting out the carnage around them and forcing himself to be composed. While Kirian found that sort of thing disturbingly easy, it had always been hard for Petyr and Zav to do it, the training had never stuck.

Kirian hummed in somber thought as he grabbed his scroll from his pocket and checked it, silent as he scrolled through his contacts and then slipping it away again. “We can’t afford to call any of our friends away from their positions. The lines are too vital.”

“I can go alone. I can get up to one of the windows and drop down to the communications center from inside.” Glancing up at one of the higher floors of the network tower, Petyr made out one of the windows, large enough he could get through easily enough.

“You’d attract less attention going alone. A whole team would be noticed.” Kirian nodded in agreement, looking over at him.

Jogging back over with the last Knights dealt with, Sunny and Zav joined them just in time to hear the end of the conversation, and Sunny shook his head.

“Not a chance. None of us go anywhere alone. There’s too many.” 

“Which is why we have to take some of them out of the game.” Kirian pressed, turning to his team leader and staring him down. But both Sunny and Zav objected, meanwhile Petyr merely continued to look up at the tower silently.

“Sunny, it’s the fastest way. We slog there together and take too long, or Petyr flies ahead and starts the process while we catch up.” Kirian glanced at Petyr to see if the boy was in agreement, but Petyr didn’t react, still off in his own thoughts and considerations.

“We don’t have the security for heroic gestures right now, Kirian.” Zav sighed, shaking his head with conviction, and Kirian looked over at his partner with a cold expression.

“And we don’t have the time for sentimentality and fear.”

Shutting out the argument next to him, Petyr clenched his fists for a moment before relaxing them, grounding himself with the feeling. It had to be done. It was the only way to shut down the Knights, and Petyr easily assumed that the Paladins would be just as infected. With how many were stationed around the city, it was simply a fact that civilians _and_ Huntsmen were being gunned down in swathes. An army inside the lines they were holding.

There wasn’t time for a debate.

“Keep the fairground clear until the survivors are evacuated, then catch up.”

Petyr said firmly without looking at the others, before kicking off the ground and firing towards the tower as fast as he could, Sunny and Zav’s objections vanished into the distance too quickly for him to hear the words, but he heard the tone.

Spinning around in the air to avoid a griffon, he blasted it out of the sky before it could continue to pursue him, and continued on his way. Having to constantly roll and pivot to avoid laser shots coming from the numerous squadrons of Knights on the ground that noticed his movement and the fact he was in open space. Eventually he heard the telltale sound of a Paladin deploying their missile volley and he spun around in the air to fire them out of the sky as quickly as possible, but the delayed movement caused him to catch a laser shot in the leg that had him wince as his aura crackled for one of the first times that night.

Firing a shot forward to shatter the window he was aiming towards, he landed inside and immediately detached the drone from his back to fly above his head and constantly scan the surrounding area for any threats. Satisfied when no Knight signals were picked up, he quickly made his way down the emergency staircase, the entire building dark and silent.

Heading down to the basement, a simple concentrated laster to the reinforced door had the lock burn away so he could kick it open, reaching the emergency power generators. It was taking time. It was taking too much time.

People were dying.

People were dying.

Using as much of his strength as he could, he drove the switches and brought the generators online, the emergency lighting flickering above his head as he knew the central command terminal would be waking up from a dormant state.

Hurrying back up the stairs to the ground floor, he took a shot that smashed through one of the windows and glanced him in the side, and he gasped in pain before quickly sending his drone over to activate the emergency barriers, the thick metal sliding down over the windows and heavy locks sealing the door leading inside, turning the communications tower into an emergency fortress.  
Letting out a breath in relief, he detached the drone from his head, no longer needing a helmet and the drone instead likely being more useful, and he stumbled his way over to the main interface with an arm around his torso as his aura slowly healed the charred shot. Waking up the terminal, he took a few rapid breaths before putting his hand on the screen to lock in.

His knees wobbled as he almost dropped, the sheer amount of information and data constantly running through the tower was too much to deal with as he felt every single scroll in the entire city, every single electric signal connected to the network, every single Knight, every Paladin. The chatter, the data, it made every muscle in his body clench, and unbeknownst to him his aura began to take damage as it fought to hold off the tremors and seizures from his brain failing to handle that much data. 

Searching through the cacophony of noise, he searched for any abnormalities that he could, but it was searching for needles in a haystack. But, he internally blinked when he saw the coding that was allowing the broadcast despite the rest of international communications being down. The carnage was being shown to the world.

That was a good place to start. Getting rid of _that._ Getting rid of the fear. And then the Knights and Paladins. 

Clenching his teeth, he forced his way into the traffic until he found what he was looking for. But it was a search that would take time. It would take too much time.

But it was the best that they had.

As he searched through the chaos of an entire city, his aura crackled down and down.

And very far away, a puppet master that was having too much fun got an alert that a troublemaker was trying to find his strings, and a frown appeared.

+=+=+

Lillian groaned in strain as she was slowly driven to her knees by the sheer strength of the monster pressing down on her blades, and she looked up at a fanged and drooling maw that was looking at her with wide and hungry eyes. Gritting her teeth and her eyes narrowing into a hateful glare, she held steady even as her right knee hit the ground.  
Even though the creature was taking shots from some of the others, nothing seemed to be penetrating its flesh, and it didn’t even bother to acknowledge that it was being attacked, being too fixated on its current prey. The creature snarled with such mindless ferocity that drool trickled down its chin in hunger, and Lillian felt a wave of disgust go through her as she finally lost her temper.

“Oh what the hell.”

Her skin began to ripple and shimmer as the diamonds emerged, and her weapons turned from steel into prismatic diamond-edged blades. Immediately the creatures fists began to bleed as diamond succeeded where steel had failed, and she watched as black blood began to drop onto the ground, though the creature didn’t seem to feel pain.  
But that didn’t matter. If you didn’t acknowledge pain, you didn’t protect against weaknesses.

“Shina! Kneecap!” She shouted out, satisfied when Shina seemed to simply appear due to his enhanced speed and slash his blade across the back of the creature’s knees. Not penetrating the flesh, he still caused it to wobble, and it gave Lillian enough freedom to shove up from her position of leverage and, with a heavy push from both arms, push her blades through the monster and almost entirely sever the left side of its torso. With a simple spinning slash she removed it’s head, before flicking her blades to remove the black blood.

Nodding to Shina, who immediately went back down to the First Cut, they looked around at their situation. The eastern campus courtyard was back in Huntsman control, the line holding and it being nearly impossible for any new Grimm or other enemies to enter the courtyard at all now that Istyr had been given flame by Kylar and was simply able to incinerate anything that attempted to come through. Removing the crystals from her skin and blades to shed the extra weight, she looked around at their situation. Once the Knights and Paladins had turned, they’d been easy enough to deal with, simply being too outnumbered. But the southern courtyard was a different story, and they could all hear the clashes.

Sharing a look, Lillian saw Shina’s decision in his eyes and she nodded.

“Be safe, we can hold here.”

“SKTC! With me!” Shina called out, and the other three didn’t hesitate to come over and join him, as they immediately began their jog to the other side of campus to assist in the heavier fighting.

A cry rang out from the eastern courtyard entrance, and Lillian looked over to see another three of the larger and seemingly more indestructible horrors simply walk through the wall of silver flames. Growling in frustration and anger, she almost went to charge in when Lucille grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

“Save your aura, if you keep shifting back and forth you’re going to exhaust yourself, and we’ve only put a dent in what’s coming.”  
“So what do you suggest?? I’m the only one who can cut into them.”

“Then maybe it’s not about cutting.” Lucille frowned, before taking a deep breath as a risky decision was made, having to make it quickly as another Huntsman was picked up and a head bitten clean off, the corpse then discarded.

The lesser shambling bodies had been easy to deal with, it had simply been their sheer numbers and their ability to act in silent cohesion with each other that had been the problem. But these horrors were...a whole new story.

Even the strongest Huntsmen here lost aura in only a few swipes from their massive strength, and their jaws made aura seemingly redundant.

Lucille bit the inside of her cheek as she looked over at where Angel was slicing down the three remaining White Fang members who had managed to sneak inside, the youthful looking girl covered in blood and gore, her skin more red and crimson than pale and clean, even her face streaked from being so close to the enemies she killed due to her fighting style.

Finishing her work, Angel looked over to where Lucille had been waiting to get her attention, and Lucille looked over at the monsters.

“Go ahead. You know what to do.”

“...Lucy…” Angel jogged over with hesitation all over her face, knowing what Lucille was asking for, and knowing the risks. “That’s...I’m not ready.”

“You’re the only one who can.” Lucille sighed, putting her hand on her partner’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, but you need to take the risk.”

“We’re meant to be saving this city, not blowing it up.” Lillian cut in, Alice quickly at her side when she had seen her teammates huddled. “If she misses her aim…”

“She can do it.” Alice gave a reassuring nod to them all, particularly to Lillian. “It’s what she’s been training since before we even met her. She can do it.”

“It’s going to take her out of the fight.” Lillian looked between Lucille and Alice, and both of them blinked when they realised.

All three of them looked over at Angel, who couldn’t help but glance at over to see the horrors shambling together and simply crushing through whatever tried to stop them.

“Okay. Get everyone out of here. And get a medical evac ready for me, I guess.” She sighed, closing her eyes in resignation.

“Angel...are you sure?” Lillian gave her a stern look, and when Angel nodded she finally relented, outnumbered. “Alright, we’ll get everyone away. Get ready.”

Nodding again, Angel took her blade off her arm and handed it to Alice, and began to slowly walk to where the three horrors were, whistling loudly to get their attention.

“Oi! Over here you ugly fucks! Chew on something...half your size!”

While other Huntsmen seemed to want to immediately object and stop her, the rest of her team were quick to reassure them and get them to pull out of the courtyard entirely

Eventually it was just Angel and the three horrors who were slow enough they shambled, giving the others time to clear space. Walking her way around them slowly so there were no buildings or anything important behind them, Angel sighed as she began to concentrate and focus on her impossibly massive reserve of aura, constantly vibrating and roiling beneath the surface of her skin, and her eyes turned from their normal green to a vibrant white as her aura filled every inch of who she was, filled to bursting.  
Aware of just how much pain she was about to be in, and the size of the risk she was taking, she shakily reached down and removed the limiting cuff from her right wrist, immediately yelping in pain as her aura attempted to escape through it. Closing her eyes in effort as she focused her aura into a smaller and smaller and more concentrated area, condensing it, it was like filling a water balloon but using a tsunami.

But she’d been learning to control her aura since she was fourteen and it had awakened.

And destroyed the house she had been in, not even leaving rubble.

Slowly and agonisingly, she raised her right fist to face towards the three monsters who were getting closer. There was a reason she had named her Semblance _‘Obliteration.’_ , and it was about to hurt in a type of pain that no other Huntsman could imagine, as her aura threatened to cook her alive.

“Fuck this night, and fuck you.”

Opening her fist, the concentrated aura escaped through it in a ground-shaking blast that was so bright that even through her closed eyes it threatened to blind her, and even the Huntsmen hiding around the corner of the nearby classroom block had to cover their eyes. It was as if the world was screaming inside of her ears as she felt her escaping aura begin to char and burn the front of her body, and her arm began to slowly blacken as her _Obliteration_ shot forward in a condensed explosion.  
After a few seconds, her aura reserves emptied and it shattered from around her, and she barely had a moment to see the complete lack of **anything** in front of her, no monsters and no cobblestones, no trees and no courtyard wall, everything in a line leading out from her simply removed, including entire buildings that had been nearby.

Looking down at the third-degree burns covering the entire front of her body, and her charred arm, the shock still kept off the pain as her eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped, landing heavily. The moment things had ended, Lucille sprinted around the corner and grabbed the cuff from the ground, immediately clipping it back around the unconscious Angel’s wrist.

“How could this _ever_ be worth it??” Alice slid down to her knees near her friend and looked down at the horrific charred and burned state she was in, her eyes wide and horrified as she wasn’t even sure where to start. “ _Look_ at her!”

“She’ll heal. Better than any of us could.” Lucille sighed, a stab of guilt and regret cutting a chunk out of her focus and heart, but she forced it down. “She’ll get more control over time. You know she will.”

_“Look at her!”_

_“I KNOW!”_ Lucille snarled back savagely, giving Alice a glare so potent her teammate flinched away from her and looked down. Lucille sighed and looked down. “I’m sorry. I’m…”

“Yeah. I get it.” Alice whispered, nodding while still looking away. “Come on. We’re evacuating her.”

“Agreed. Those larger monsters are gone. We’re pulling her back to the medical zone and we’ll decide what to do from there…” Lucille passed her trident to Lillian to hold before scooping Angel up in her arms.

The jog back towards the medical zone was a long one, but with Alice and Lillian clearing the path in front of them they barely had to slow down before they reached it. As they arrived at the camp nearly three-quarters of an hour later, far on the outskirts of the city, they all looked around at the horrific amount of wounded there were, and the amount of dead that were laid out respectfully in a large cleared space. Dozens, nearly hundreds, and too many were classmates that the three of them tore their eyes away from. The grief had to come later.

Taking Angel to the emergency tent, the girl was immediately taken from Lucille and laid down on one of the bare few medical beds that had been set up.

“Oh gods...what happened to her?” It was an older woman, early forties, with curled black hair and features that were familiar.

“Her aura burned her up when she released it. It’s hard to explain.”

“...this is Angel Wince, then…” The woman sighed, kneeling to check over the girl properly, having to carefully cut away the burnt scraps of her clothes that had melted and stuck to her flesh.

The girl was in a horrific state, and even with her immense aura reserves and the sheer speed she recovered it, she would heal agonisingly slowly. And there would be no escaping scars.

Tesse stood up as she finished looking her over, and looked to her teammates. “With her aura reserves completely depleted, she could be out for days. Her reserves may be immense, but without one spark to grow from her aura won’t recover properly.”

“ _Days??”_ Alice’s eyes widened before she looked at Angel, then around at her teammates who all looked as scared and guilty as she did. “How many?”

“Could be three. Could be a week. It’s impossible to say definitively for each individual.” Tesse shook her head as she washed her hands in a nearby basin and disinfected them. “You’re from Haven, right? Team LAVA?”

“Yes ma’am.” Lucille nodded, and the woman let out a worried sigh.

“Emergency evacuations to Haven are apparently going to be slow, but the Mistral air fleet is on its way to assist. We’ll get her home. Are you three returning to the fight?”

The three of them looked around at each other, turning to face each other properly, and Lucille bit her lip in thought. “The fight is just going to keep getting messier and more condensed into close-quarters fighting.”

“I’ll stay with her.” Alice volunteered, looking down at the unconscious girl she thought of as a sister. “Brutal fighting isn’t my strength, and I can assist here as a medic until the evac.”

“Alright. Meanwhile Lillian and I will stay here. Lillian?”

Without hesitation, Lillian nodded and rolled her shoulders with determination, before stepping forward and pulling Alice into a tight hug. “Be safe.”

“You two are the ones going back into a warzone.” Alice hugged her back just as tightly, closing her eyes in worry. “Please come back alive.”

Stepping back, Lillian turned to Tesse as Lucille hugged Alice. “Have you guys narrowed down which sections of the city are taking the most casualties?”

Frowning in thought, Tesse led Lucille and Lillian to a different tent where maps and reports were being filled out and passed around at rapid speed, intel on the situation constantly being updated. Tesse walked over to where Logan was flipping through the latest casualty list with focused eyes.

“Love, which places are having the most trouble?”

“Why do you ask?” Logan didn’t really need to ask, but talking vented anxiety as he switched to a different pile of reports without hesitation, scanning through the most recent ones.

“Just needing to know where to redeploy.”

Nodding in understanding, Logan found the right report and scanned it, a frown appearing on his face. “Grimm numbers are dwindling and the White Fang are routing on most fronts. But they’re still present in the west campus. Any updates you two can give me?”

“The east courtyard has been secured. That battle is done.”

“Got it. That’s fantastic to hear. But apart from cleanup, our priority is evacuation now. Civilian rescue.”

“We’re at your disposal. Just tell us where you need us to go.”

“The White Fang won’t leave the west campus courtyard alone, something there is rallying them and we don’t know what.”

“Then we’ll go have a look. It’s a forty-five minute run but we’ll get there as soon we we can.”

+=+=+

Catching up to an exhausted Velvet, her hardlight reserves now empty from dealing with the Paladins, Shina gave her a grin as he pulled her into a worried hug, the adrenaline-drunk girl giggling cutely as she hugged him back.

“I did it!”

“You did. That was _amazing._ ” 

Shina smiled before pulling her into a deep and close kiss now that they had a brief break to do it, and she wrapped her arms around him and returned it, both of them taking a moment to tune out the fact they were both wounded and covered in blood in a warzone. Taking a moment, _stealing_ a moment, for things to be alright. She sighed and melted into it, the adrenaline fuzziness fading and instead replaced with a special flavour of serenity that can only be found when there’s comfort to escape pain.  
Breaking it off, they rested their foreheads together as Shina gently cupped Velvet’s cheek with his hand, returning his sword to his back so he could put his other hand on her waist and hold her softly. Leaning into the touch with a sigh, Velvet let a few tears escape, finding the moment to let some of it out.

“How could things come to this?”

“I don’t know.” Shina whispered, shaking his head gently while still keeping it rested against hers with closed eyes. “Everything we…”

“It’s all on fire. Shina...we’ve both covered in blood.”

“I know. I know. But we have to think about that later.” Shina kissed her forehead gently as a shiver of shock went through her as she began to become aware of what was all over her and what they’d had to do.

Hearing the heavy footsteps of more Paladins and Knights, Shina let her go and drew his sword while she stretched her arms, returning to unarmed combat now that her hardlight dust was drained.  
Sticking by each other’s side as they fought, Velvet and Shina made sure to cover each other, with Shina still often look over to keep an eye on Chrystal, who was sticking by Ren and Nora, seeming to have found the energy to enter a competition with Nora to see who could destroy Knights in the most absurd and dramatic ways.

But then a ring of gunfire got Chrystal’s attention, her sensitive ears picking it up, and Shina saw as she hesitated and turned towards the west end of campus. Looking over at him she gestured with her head, and he nodded before turning to Velvet to get her attention.

“Chrystal wants my help with something, be safe.”

“I will. You too.” Velvet gave him a nod and quickly kissed his cheek before he dashed away to follow Chrystal.

Meanwhile on the other side of the courtyard, perched up on one of the walls that had yet to collapse, Tacita drew arrow after arrow, easily dropping approaching Grimm so that the other Huntsmen could deal with the far more numerous Knights. Bringing down an approaching pack of beowulfs with a well placed electric arrow which crackled outwards and turned the four of them to dust, she closed her eyes to focus and find what else she could see.

A flash of green hair had her eyes to click open.

_‘Emerald…’_

Turning her head in the direction she saw the girl heading past, she could a faint glimpse of the girl scrambling up onto a roof. Tacita’s eyes narrowed and a snarl threatened to leave her throat as a shot of hatred entered her bloodstream and she developed tunnel vision.

_‘ **Emerald**.’ _

Glancing over at where Kylar was a few paces away firing down into the courtyard from his elevated position, she ran over and grabbed his arm, rapidly getting his attention.

“We have to go for Emerald. She’ll lead us to Cinder, and we can get them both out of this before they properly enter things.”

“...you sure?” Kylar frowned, clicking his staff closed and putting it into a casual stance as they talked, glancing over in the direction Tacita was looking and faintly making out the figures on the rooftop. “...Cinder is strong, love.”

“I know. But I need to get Emerald out of this.”

“...alright.” Kylar nodded, grinding his teeth for a few moments as he thought over it. “I think I can take Cinder if I’m able to focus on her and only her. So if there are others, keep them off me.”

“I can do that. Let’s go.”

“What about Shina and Chrystal?”

Frowning, Tacita focused on her Semblance and reached out, scanning the courtyard and the surrounding area. But as she grew more tired, her range was shrinking, and she sighed and shook her head. “I can’t see them. But if they’ve both vanished, it means they’re together. They’re going to be fine.”

“Well alright then. Let’s go.”

Giving each other a confident look, they hopped down from the wall they were on and began to run their way towards the building they knew Emerald had climbed up on top of, Tacita’s grip on her bow tightening at the want to put an arrow through that evil illusionist’s heart. She and Kylar already had blood on their hands tonight, as much as they both hated it and were refusing to think about it.  
But if Tacita managed to get Emerald’s blood on her, she’d be okay with that. That’s a kill she could be able to find peace with.

It was quite the run, especially having to fight their way down a street or two, but eventually they reached it, and Tacita looked up with her Semblance, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction.

“The three of them are up there. Shall we do this?”

“Alright. We get them from behind.”

Kylar pointed to one of the buildings, and Tacita nodded in agreement, the two of them making their way to the bottom of it, and with a simple infusion of air dust they both silently flew up to the top and landed silently, watching as their three enemies looked out over the city silently.

+=+=+

Smirking in satisfaction as she looked out over the burning city, Cinder waited patiently for the right moment to make her way to the tower and finally get what was rightfully hers. But she had to pick her moment carefully, it was only a matter of time until the Wyven emerged, just as her queen had informed her it would when the time was right.  
The panic it would cause, and the Grimm it would summon, would buy her the distraction she needed to get inside.

With the last of her strongest children destroyed, Delilah had returned to the battlefield in a grief-fuelled rage despite Cinder’s orders. But despite the disobedience, Cinder couldn’t deny the girl’s effectiveness, able to pick off her enemies so that her presence and her betrayal wouldn’t be revealed. Next to her, Mercury chuckled as he held his scroll up to broadcast the carnage to the rest of the world, the boy sadistically enjoying every moment as a city burned to the ground.

But he frowned when his scroll crackled and froze for a moment, stuttering in his grip, and then seemed to fizzle in his hands and die, the screen going blank. “What the fuck? The damn thing’s dead.”

“Dead? How?” Emerald blinked, glancing down at the scroll in Mercury’s hands. 

A few moments later Cinder narrowed her eyes at her own scroll ringing. Checking it, she snarled at the number, but she knew she had to answer.

“What?”

 _“Having a bit of technical trouble, Cinder?”_ The voice of Arthur Watts sounded mildly frustrated, but mostly exasperated.

“What do you know about it?”

_“You’ve got quite the clever lad cutting you off. And now that he’s done with your little publicity stunt, he’s going to take your Atlesian army from you.”_

“Then stop him. Obviously.” She hissed, before glaring more viciously when Arthur replied in an even more frustrated voice.

 _“He’s at a central terminal, as much as I loathe to say it he has more access than I do currently, and somehow he’s faster. You’ve got a problem._ **_Fix it_ ** _**.** ” _

The line went dead, and Cinder turned to Mercury quickly with a scowl.

“The person doing it is at the broadcast tower. Deal with them.”

“Consider it done. I could do with the exercise.” Mercury smirked, before simply hopping off the roof and dropping to the ground, making his way to the tower at a run.

As Cinder watched him go, she clenched her fists at her side before blinking in surprise as Emerald gasped in pain and was seemingly shot from the roof, a viciously barbed arrow in her back and causing her aura to crackle fiercely.  
Spinning on her heel, she brought up a wave of fire just in time to clash with the blast of lightning heading for her, and she raised an eyebrow at the duo facing her from the next roof over, even as Emerald used the chain of her weapon to swing back up onto the roof, narrowing her eyes at the death stare Tacita was giving her.

“Well then, the two geniuses I kept hearing about despite not wanting to.” Cinder drawled, giving a chuckle as she noticed the ebbing pulses of dust energy in Kylar’s hands and the determined look in his eyes. “Kylar Goroesi, I presume. And Tacita Everweb. But not the two others?”

“Just the two of us are enough.” Tacita put a hand back over her shoulder, her fingers gently stroking the feathers of her arrow as the tension grew, going to snap at any moment.

“I can commend the bravery. Your team is nothing if not relentless, and I will say you did well. But, the prize is not one you might have wished for.” Cinder brought fire to both her arms, and her eyes glowed from the magic within her, smirking when she noticed Kylar’s eyes widened for a moment before he refocused.

“I’m starting to think your team has a grudge against me.” Emerald hummed with a raised eyebrow, swinging her weapons casually by the chains before bringing her guns into her hands, blinking at the intense glare that Tacita gave her. Cold and lethal. She glared back, clicking the safety’s off.

The two duos stared at each other in silence for a few moments, each waiting for the other to make a move, before Cinder merely hummed in amusement and raised her hand, releasing a concentrated wave of fire and causing Kylar to raise a wall of rock, the boy drawing in ice and lightning even as he watched the rock start to collapse from his aura within it being easily destroyed by the flames.  
The moment it dropped he released a stream of water that crackled from lightning within, and even though Cinder’s flames evaporated the water the lightning still got through and zapped her in the chest, causing her to snarl before chuckling.

“Well. A deserved reputation. But your power, while impressive, is simply a pale imitation of something you could never imagine.”

Her eyes glowing, she flicked open the pouches on her belt and released a wave of molten glass, congealing in front of her and threatening to pierce in through a wave of needles as they fired at him, but with a pulse of gravity dust the flaming needles were sent scattering just in time for Kylar to receive a blast of fire to the chest. A wave of ice blocked it away, but not before it scorched his aura and sent it crackling.

Panting in pain, Kylar looked up at her with heaving breaths.

“...that’s not a Semblance.”

“Ah, you’re catching on. If you like solving puzzles so much, see if you can solve it in the moments you have left.” 

Cinder chuckled, throwing fireball after fireball at him and having him rolling and dodging around the roof as he threw up wall after wall. But it wasn’t for nought, as his own bolts of lightning got through and zapped her aura, causing it to crackle in increasing amounts. Meanwhile Emerald had found herself hunted across the rooftops. While Chrystal had simply seemed to know where attacks were coming from despite the illusions, Tacita didn’t seem to notice her illusions at all.

For Tacita, it wasn’t so much that she couldn’t _see_ the illusions, but she was able to force her Semblance through them to see reality. It hurt, it was _agonising_ , but she was determined.

Drawing a gravity arrow and firing it at Emerald’s feet to hold her steady, an ice arrow drenched her in water and a lightning arrow blasted her horrifically. With her Semblance seemingly nullified in its base strength, Emerald found herself growing furiously angry, and what made her angrier was how Tacita didn’t seem bothered by taking the bullets she wasn’t able to dodge.

Her opponent seemed to truly want her dead, and that put a pit in Emerald’s stomach that she wasn’t sure how she felt about.  
But she knew it scared her.

Ducking out of the way of another arrow, Emerald was growing more and more desperate, and her aura was growing more and more frazzled and damaged. Desperation began to fill her blood, and desperation leads to ‘final stand’ decisions.

As another blast of fire melted through a rock barrier, Kylar spun the chambers of Myriadisca to check on his reserves, and found them scarily low. His aura wasn’t doing well either. Meanwhile whatever Cinder was doing didn’t seem to exhaust her at all, and her aura reserves were simply terrifying. Meanwhile his own were draining.  
No matter what he put into her, she laughed it off.

As the rock wall he was hiding behind began to crumble away, he spun a few chambers and glanced over at how Tacita was doing, nodding when she seemed to be successfully hunting her target. Bringing in a truly enormous amount of lightning and air dust, he closed his eyes and focused on how it felt. His two favourite dusts, the two he found the easiest to combine, the two that made him feel unstoppable. He needed a genius idea, he needed something strong.  
Letting the air and lightning dust fill him, he drew in some ice as well, and held the three, mixing them together. He only had a few moments, but with these three particular types of dust it was all he needed.

This was his best that he could do.

When she succeeded in destroying yet another annoying and pathetic rock wall, Cinder raised her eyebrows at what she saw. The boy was shimmering with lightning, and a thin layer of clouds seemed to be moving off him, blowing away in whisps, as if he was filled to the brim with the energy of a lightning storm.  
Bringing her hand up again, she released a stream of fire, and raised her eyebrows in surprise when he raised his own hands to challenge it, releasing a lightning storm that set of crackles of thunder as it flew out of his hands, smashing into her blast of fire and impacted it, the two streams pushing against each other.

Cinder narrowed her eyes with a smirk, impressed, and pushed on it. When his blast began to overpower hers, she hummed before simply adding her second hand to her stream of fire.

And it was a stalemate. But his blast was draining his aura as it went, meanwhile she could hold hers forever.

He had to beat her soon, or he was done for.

On the other side of the rooftop, Emerald felt her aura lower to a threatening level as another arrow struck her in the shoulder. Pulling it out with a scowl, she glared at her opponent as Tacita simply watched her coldly but with a deep hate filling her eyes.

So Emerald surprised her by standing still, no longer running, and switching her weapons to their chained sickle forms, spinning them slowly, as she focused.

As Tacita stared at her in curiosity, she felt a wave of nausea hit her as her entire vision went blurry. Emerald strained as hard as she could as she forced as much disruptive energy into her opponent as she could, requiring so much effort she felt her heart hammering and herself biting her cheek so hard she tasted blood. But she hammered Tacita’s mind over and over again, even as she took the arrow into her gut.

Surrounded, Tacita’s aura reserves already low from battling through Emerald’s illusions, Tacita closed her eyes as she shattered each one wrapped around her one by one, before she felt a chain wrap around her torso and she was yanked.

Emerald pulled on Tacita with all of her might, bringing the girl into the space between the two buildings, before using the momentum to pull herself towards the other girl to meet her there, bringing her other scythe back and carving a vicious tear down the girl’s torso, a vicious gash of blood spraying through the air as Tacita’s aura shattered.

As Tacita fell, she opened her eyes only last time and rapidly fired two arrows, the first impacted Emerald into the chest just as the girl’s aura shattered from overusing her Semblance, and the flaming aura burst a vicious hole into Emerald’s hip, sending the girl screaming to her knees as Tacita released her second arrow, the grappling hook grabbing onto a balcony just in time to slow her fall enough it wouldn’t kill her, but when she hit her head on the pavement she fell into darkness.

Watching as his girlfriend was viciously sliced and flung off the roof, Kylar’s concentration broke and Cinder’s flame broke through his storm and impacted directly on his chest. Bringing Myriadisca up in an attempt to block it, he drew in some gravity dust at the last moment as he knew what would happen next, and still felt a wave of despair when his staff shattered in his hands from the heat. Flung backwards, he was propelled off the roof, and as he fell into empty space he released the gravity dust at the last moment to stop his fall, and he landed hard but still conscious.

His aura shattering and his staff broken, with vicious burns across his chest, it was all he could do to limp and agonisingly scoop his unconscious and almost fatally wounded girlfriend in his arms and rush away with her.

Watching them go, Cinder hummed in satisfaction and curiosity to herself as she lowered her hand, letting them go. They were an amazingly fascinating pair, particularly the boy. She had no doubt she’d see him again.

And she couldn’t wait to see what his defeat had done to him.

Next to her, Emerald collapsed entirely as the vicious burn wound on her side cooked her flesh, and as Cinder looked down at her subordinate, unconscious from the shock, she huffed in disappointment. If Tacita’s aim had been only a few inches higher, Emerald would be dead, meanwhile Emerald had failed to kill her.  
How disappointing.

But, Emerald had her uses, and so if she survived her injury then Cinder would give her one more chance.

+=+=+

Searching his way through the network, Petyr finally found what he was looking for, finding the lines of malicious code that had intercepted the true programming of the Atlesian robotic military and corrupted them. Latching onto it, he followed it to where it was touching the system, and quickly got to work on extracting it, like cutting out a tumor.  
As he studied it, in the back of his mind he heard a banging, and one of his drones attempted to warn him off something.

Bringing up its surveillance camera while he worked inside the network, he watched as the security door to the communications tower was slowly denting and breaking in. And his breath caught in his throat. Whoever was breaking in was breaking in very, very quickly, and he had barely started his work.  
Sending a drone to use its laser to weld the door closed, he went back to work. The banging continued, growing louder and more successful, and he tried his best to ignore it. Bringing up the communications tower scroll network during his interfacing, he opened up a line directly to Kirian’s scroll.

_‘I’ve been discovered.’_

The text would go through, but he couldn’t afford to be more distracted than that as he kept walking.

Then he found it. The heard of the code. And as it filtered past his eyes and he heard the voice of it in his ears, he decoded the language as if reading a book and his eyes widened.

 _“Wait, I know this coding language. I’ve seen this before. This is...but he’s_ **_dead_ ** _. But...it's everywhere. He's **everywhere."** _

The door threatened to give way, and with few options left Petyr called Chrystal.

“ _Petyr_?”

“Hey love, I need to borrow your scroll.”

 _“What do you mean?”_ Her voice sounded stressed, she was clearly in the middle of a fight, but had known Petyr wouldn’t have called her unless it was an emergency.

“I’m trying to shut down the Knights and Paladins, but I can’t do it personally much longer. Between my scroll, the tablet, and your scroll, I think I can do it. Our scrolls are still linked, so I need to borrow its processor.”

There was a pause while Chrystal had to fight and then bounce off again, her voice even more confused and stressed. _“Are you alright? What’s distracting you?”_

“I’m okay, just getting interrupted. You okay if I use it?”

_“...go ahead. I trust you. I need to get back to it.”_

“I love you.”

_“I love you too. Be safe. Don’t be the hero.”_

“Right back at you.”

Snapping out of his interface, Petyr quickly grabbed the tablet and his scroll from his bag and plugged the tablet into the interface, before attuning to both the scroll and his tablet and telling them what to look for and what to attack. Tapping on his wrist pad, he linked them all together into a small private network so that they couldn’t be stopped. At that final effort, that final strain, his aura gave out and broke around him, his mind immediately battered with the information without any protection, and he winced in pain before looking to see if the custom program was working.

Watching as they started, he closed his eyes in a stressed sigh. Now it was just a matter of buying time.

Bringing a drone down as a sword, and another as a laser, he waited. There was no room to fly, and the helmet would just weigh him down when he could just face his enemies head-on instead.

So he waited.

Bringing his two other drones back, it was just in time as the door exploded inwards, and an annoyed Mercury stepped in, glancing around to take stock of the room quickly before his eyes landed on Petyr and his eyebrows widened in surprise.

“You??”

“What can I do for you, Mercury?” Petyr flexed his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists, as he stared down the other boy. Mercury smirked and rolled his shoulders.

“You’ve been causing mischief. Time to stop that.”

“You’re a bit too late.”

“Oh?” Mercury looked over his shoulder at where a few Knights were still moving around looking for targets. “Then you suck at your work.”

“Shina's still out and about, so you're not great at yours either.”

“When did you grow a pair? First time we ever made eye contact you looked at the ground.”

Petyr shrugged, before his eyes focused into a glare. “You don’t have time to stop this.”

“And what makes you say that? Why can’t we take our time? Get to know each other?” Mercury smirked as he took another step into the room, only to raise his eyebrows when the two drones hovering near Petyr revealed their lasers.

In a way, Petyr was thankful it was him that was going to get to fight Mercury. Because unless the boy didn’t think things through, Mercury had to pick his moves and strategy very carefully. But he was the careful type, and Petyr knew that even as Mercury was snarking, he was actually using the time to analyse.  
They were both the same in that regard.

“...it’s not done yet, isn’t it. You’re stalling.” Mercury glanced over at where the tablet and scroll were still lit up on the console as they worked, and Petyr shrugged. Smirking, Mercury took another step forward. “Well, can’t have that. Sorry four-eyes.”

“...fine. But you only get one shot.” Petyr took a few steps forward as well, his drones following him, and Mercury raised an eyebrow, before glancing down at Petyr’s hands, and his eyes lit up in understanding.

And they finally both understood what the rules were.  
Mercury had to kill Petyr in one kick. He had one shot, because the moment his cybernetic leg touched Petyr it would be shut down by Petyr’s Semblance.

He was the far superior fighter, by untold leagues, so it wasn’t an impossibility, and both of them knew that as they stared each other down.

“You don’t seem afraid of dying.” Mercury commented idly as he slid his foot back and brought his hands up in a ready position.

“I’m terrified. I don’t want to die.”

“Then you’re the first smart person I’ve killed all day. No bravado. Finally.” There was almost a glimmer of respect in Mercury’s eyes as Petyr’s honesty, and his determination _despite_ his honesty about his fear.

Swallowing a gulp to get rid of the lump of fear in his throat, Petyr put his own fingers right near the pad on his wrist. Looking down at his wrist pad, he guessed he had to last just over two minutes.

Time to be the hero.

+=+=+

Chrystal blinked at the strange screen that popped up on her scroll, showing connections to a few different devices including Petyr’s wristpad, and some sort of coding running past that she stood no chance of understanding. Trusting Petyr, she slipped her scroll back into her pocket just in time to slice through another White Fang thug, blood spraying across her as he dropped dead before he hit the ground. Closing her eyes as she wiped the blood from her face, she got back to work, not wanting to think about the fact that the blood no longer bothered her. Looking across at Shina, she watched as he was dealing with his own problems, but he was fine.

Kicking another thug in the gut to knock him down to the ground, she put a bullet through his head with a cold and impassive look before simply moving on.

This was war. This was a battle. And people died.

She had to kill. They all had to kill. It was war.

This is what she’d trained for.

Bringing her pistol up, she emptied the rest of the magazine into the people she could see before rapidly reloading, still using simple standard bullets. Moving onwards, she grabbed a White Fang member from behind and slipped her blade between his lungs, dropping the gasping man to the ground and stepping over him, blocking a flurry of swings from two of the man’s friends that ended in them both dropping to the ground bleeding out.

A bullet to the less-hurt of the two as she walked past ended it.

This was war.

This is what she’d trained for.

A scream caught her attention, and she immediately bolted her way around the burning buildings of the west campus, just in time to bump into a stumbling Blake. Blinking in surprise, she skidded to a stop to not crash into them, and her eyes widened. Carrying an unconscious Yang, Blake was bleeding profusely from a wound in her stomach, meanwhile Yang was...in an even worse state.

As Blake stumbled to a stop as well, she winced in pain as she looked up at Chrystal.

“Chrystal, run. You _have_ to get out of here.” Blake gasped, looking up at Chrystal with pleading eyes, the fear stronger than the agony of her injury. “Please! It’s not safe.”

“What happened? Oh gods.” Chrystal couldn’t stop herself looking down at where Yang’s arm used to be, and her eyes widened. “ _What happened?”_

“...one of the leaders of he White Fang. Adam. _He’s here_ . You _have_ to run. Get your team out of here. Hurry. _Please._ ” Blake whimpered in the same pleading tone as she made her way past as quickly as she could while carrying Yang desperately in the direction of the medical outpost.

Pausing in place as she watched her friend’s go, Chrystal holstered her pistol and drew her second blade, Shina joining her a few moments later, having clearly bumped into Blake as well.

“What the hell happened to them?” Shina glanced to Chrystal, his expression frowning in worry at the drained look on her face..

“One of the leaders of the White Fang, apparently. Name’s Adam. Get them to the medical bay. They won’t get there on their own like that.” Chrystal swallowed as she bit her lips and looked at Shina. Blinking, he shook his head.

“With someone like that around? I’m not leaving you.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just keep dealing with the cronies until you get-”

Her sentence was interrupted by a horrific rumbling that shook the ground, with Shina wobbling on his feet while Chrystal looked around for the source. Then the top of one of the nearby mountains exploded, rocks and rubble flying everywhere as something too large to comprehend clawed its way out, letting out a roar so loud that it rippled through their bodies even from the distance.

Spreading enormous wings, the...dragon….flew its way towards the campus with massive powerful flaps of its wings, screeching horrifically as it flew.

Both of them stared up at it with wide eyes, and Chrystal said in a terrified and blank voice without looking away from it.

“...get Yang to help. I’ll finish up here and then...yeah. We’re done.”

“Yup.” Shina immediately snapped out of it and ran in the direction of Blake and Yang, to scoop Yang up into his arms and help run them to one of the outposts.

+=+=+

As Kirian and Zav sprinted towards the communications tower as fast as they could, simply avoiding combat as they ran, with Sunny dealing with enemies behind them, they were only a few paces from the tower doors when they heard a thundering gunshot from inside.

Bolting their way through the doors, they were both forced to skid to a stop, completely silent.

While Kirian closed his eyes and looked down at the ground, Zav’s own eyes widened at the drones that littered the floor. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, speaking in a prayer loud enough it echoed through the room.

_“Gods… Please no...”_

A moment later, all across the city, the Atlesian Knights and Paladins fell silent, dropping to the ground.

But at that same moment, Chrystal’s scroll blipped.

_“Lost connection to Drovi Protecti Command Pad. System shutdown. No response._

+=+=+

Looking down at her scroll numbly, Chrystal’s blade slipped from the fingers of her other hand and she fell to her knees. She tried calling Petyr.

It rang. And rang. And rang.

Someone picked up.

“Petyr? Baby? Are you okay?”

It was Zavraii’s voice on the line, but it was distorted, signal failing as the communications tower began to fry and fail. His voice was heavy, and choked, and she could faintly hear Sunny and Kirian in the background but she couldn’t make out the words. Zavraii’s voice barely came out as a whisper.

_“Chrystal...I...I’m so sorry.”_

Frozen, her scroll slipped from her hand and she looked blankly into nothingness, the light of her scroll flickering off as local communications failed and the tower turned off. There was silence apart from the sound of giant wings. But she didn’t care. If anyone had seen her, it would have been a haunting sight as tears drew streaks through the blood splatters on her face. Looking around but not really seeing anything, she felt the steel of her training trying to break through to wake her up, but it wasn’t enough.  
She wasn’t sure how long she slumped there, there was no way of keeping track, but soon Shina was back at her side, crouching down near her. While he was talking, she didn’t hear anything, not until he put his hands on either side of her face and forced eye contact.

“....need you to come back to me. Wake up.”

Nodding slowly and numbly, her eyes were still unfocused as she looked at him, her neck loose so her head constantly tilting and twitching.

“Chrysalis? What happened?”

“Petyr.” Was all she managed to say, and Shina closed his eyes as a vicious blade of grief went through his heart. It made him hesitate to tell her the next piece of news, but she deserved to know.

“Chrysalis...there’s something you have to know. And I need you to be strong for me.”

Coming back to herself as much as she could, she forced herself to focus and she nodded, but she was still out of it. “What?”

He hesitated, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, his eyes guarded and sympathetic as he spoke softly.

“They found Lelise’s and Ursa’s bodies. And a lot of blood. They were in the east, where the larger monsters were. And...neither Delilah or Cypher have been seen since.”

And with that, Chrystal shut down. Everything went cold and numb as she slumped in his arms, still conscious but barely aware of anything except for her own breathing and how cold she suddenly felt. Shina bundled her up in her arms and held her tight as she shed tears, but she wasn’t sure she was doing it at first until the wall of numbness broke and she gripped him so hard she tore some of his leathers, screaming into the material as she sobbed so violently they were almost seizures.  
Her aura crackled wildly underneath her skin as she was practically vibrating as she wept, her eyes wide the entire time and almost unblinking. Silently, Shina held her close, putting his own grief to the side for Chrystal to vent hers, as so much was taken from her in one moment.

Underneath what she was feeling, she felt her training screaming at her to stop, that her emotions would draw in the Grimm, that by feeling what she was feeling she was putting people in danger. It didn’t make it through the grief but it was trying.

For now, she simply curled up in her friend’s embrace, and screamed into leather so that no-one would hear.

But they were interrupted by the scream of the dragon finally reaching the city, and it snapped Chrystal out of it enough that she watched it with wide eyes as it flew above them.

She watched the dragon approach with massive beats of its wings, roaring in a bellow that brought terror to every part of her. Her training finally broke through the numbness, and without a word she stood and grabbed her scroll and her blades, her eyes unfocused, and she could feel nothing on her skin except for the cold. But the steel of her training was there to guide the way. Needing to keep an eye on the dragon to see where it would go, she ran over to the nearby campus wall and leapt up, scrambling to the highest point with a clear view over the city.

Her eyes widened in complete broken despair as she watched the blobs of black drop from the dragon and land on the ground, emerging at the new Grimm that appeared in a constant stream. And White Fang were still tearing through this section of the city, going building to building.

Down below her in the city streets, a group of White Fang were seemingly heading towards one of the few buildings that had so far been left alone;

The Vale Retirement Home.

Something went through her. A tremor. It bounced from muscle to muscle, from synapse to synapse, as each part of her woke up but tingled with a deep black hate and fury. A sort of grief-fuelled hatred that is beyond comparison, and she gripped both of her blades so tightly the metal threatened to creak as the black finished filling her.  
Snapping back to focus, she hopped back down from the wall and dropped the worrisome distance down below and landed on one of her numerous enemies, slitting his throat and kicking another man in the ribs to double him over and bring a blade across his gut brutally.

As far as Shina had seen, she had simply vanished, and by the time he was up on the wall to try and find her she had followed the White Fang into the building, and he hadn’t seen her go. She was nowhere to be seen.

Down below, rampaging through the ground floor and continuing in her work, it was only another couple of minutes until she was surrounded by bodies, blades dripping with red and her body and skin completely covered in gore. Looking around at her handiwork, she felt...nothing.

This was war. This is what she’d trained for.

She had to kill. You killed in war.

People died in war.

She was so numb. And it hurt so much.

It felt dark. And cold.

This was war. You killed in war.

This is what she’d trained for.

+=+=+

Looking around and trying to find any sign of where his best friend had vanished to, Shina hissed in pain when he took a bullet in the back while caught unawares, and he spun to face his attacker, hopping down from the wall.

“So you’re Shina, that we were _all_ told about.”

The man talking to him was tall, easily as tall as Sunny. Black and red hair, a pair of black horns, and a unique White Fang mask covering his eyes, with his black battle clothes he cut an intimidating and fierce figure, and he held himself with a confidence that had Shina cautious. While Mercury’s confidence was fuelled by ego, this man’s confidence came across as fuelled by experience.

A blade in a long sheath on his hip, a sheath that doubled as some sort of firearm, seemed to be his weapon of choice as the man stood there with his hand on the hilt of his blade, but without drawing it.

“You must be that White Fang leader that Blake mentioned to my teammate. Adam, right?”

“It’s nice to know she still talks about me. People talk about you too.” Adam took a step forward, and Shina matched it, his blade at the ready just as much as Adam’s was. “They say you’re the second best fighter in the school.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Only on the scoreboards.”

“And quite the scoreboards it is. When getting ready for tonight we were all given the basic details on who might be a problem.” Adam chuckled, taking a step to the side, and Shina matched it, the two circling each other until they were both in the clear on the courtyard, ready to fight. "And we were told about you, and the girl."

"Told by who?"

"The people helping me, of course. You can't bring a city to its knees purely by charging into it. Oh we looked in on all of you." Adam gave him a curious look, smirking while scrutinising him at the same time, and his posture relaxed as he apparently approved of what he saw in front of him. "This has been painfully easy so far. The champions of humanity, huh? Look at what you champions have managed to do. It's all burning."

"Only because you psychopaths lit the match. I don't understand what any of you are getting out of this." Shina snarled, flourishing his blade to vent the anger out through the movement, and Adam frowned as if the answer was obvious before gesturing around at what was being done to the city, at what was being done to the school itself. Everything being on fire, everything destroyed, the bodies.

"You burn us, we burn you. This is a reminder of what your people have done."

"Killing children, you're very brave. Truly sending a message." Shina scoffed, narrowing his eyes as he shook his head with a hateful sneer. "The powerful White Fang. Brave enough that they'll attack a school of teenagers."

"These academies are a symbol. Don't play dumb, you can't be that blind. Huntsmen are a symbol of the brutal and callous obsession with control through violence that humanity so adores, and has always adored." Adam growled, showing teeth as he shook his head in absolute revulsion at it, he gestured around at the littered bodies around them, the courtyard of White Fang members that had been cut down by Shina and Chrystal. "Look."

"Not to sound petty, but you started it. And, frankly..." Shina made an effort to nudge one of the bodies with his foot callously, with a dismissive look, just to see how Adam would react. When Adam bristled but held his composure, anger and hate written into every tense muscle in his body from his face to how he was holding his legs, Shina felt like he understood him a little bit more. "Frankly, I'm unimpressed. You're not the ringleaders here. You've got no business, so someone else brought you in. This isn't a revolution. These days you're no more than _bandits_. And apparently killing children is some source of fucking pride? Well done on your position of power, Adam. You're stronger than subordinates that suck at killing school students."

“If you’re the best of Beacon, then prove our ineptitude.” Adam put his hand on the hilt of his blade in the ready, and simply waited for Shina’s answer.

Taking a deep breath, Shina looked up at where the dragon was still circling the city spawning Grimm. It was time to pull out. Vale was lost, and there was no stopping it. 

It was time to go.

But Adam was a threat that couldn’t be ignored.

Letting out his deep breath, he focused, and Adam smirked in satisfaction when black rings appeared around Shina’s eyes and his skin paled, opening the first two cuts in one push. Without waiting for any sort of snarky remark from his opponent, Shina shot forward with his full enhanced speed and brought his blade across, Adam drawing his own quickly to block it, but the force of the impact still sent him skidding back a few paces.

Adam’s counterattack was easily avoided and brushed aside, with Shina’s swing being the same story. Adam was just as fast as Shina was in his enhanced state, much faster than Mercury, and with a level of skill that made Mercury look inept. The two went back and forth with enough strength they were driving each other skidding across the courtyard with each clash.

Smirking in satisfaction at the challenge, Adam release his semblance just enough for one of his counters to send Shina sliding back with the sheer force behind it.

Adam brought his blade down with a full release of all the power his semblance had absorbed from the clashes, and as his slice came down Shina pushed internally and his eyes darkened. Swinging back, the two enhanced fighters clashed blades with enough strength that the rubble and trees around them shook, and the wooden window frames of the building nearby splintered. Bringing his sword around, Shina released a swing at the full power of the third cut into Adam, and even though the man absorbed the power of it into his blade he was still sent flying back and crashing into the courtyard wall, giving out a gasp as his red aura shimmered.

His eyes narrowing into a glare, Adam put a hand on his hilt and allowed the fully absorbed power to build up and focus. Drawing his blade, he brought it down once again in a vicious swing and released the focused power in a wave that smashed into Shina and sent him flying back into the air as his aura crackled.

While in the air, Shina released another air wave with a swing which Adam caught on his blade as he spun to avoid the brunt of it, immediately returning the energy of it for Shina to avoid in a roll as he hit the ground.

With muscles screaming from the strain, Shina knew Adam was in just as bad a shape as he was, and it wouldn’t take much more. So, panting and in agony, he snarled viciously and focused. Adam watched as Shina’s skin became the colour of a corpse, and what looked to be small black tendrils emerged from his skin, the gold of his eyes shining compared to the black rings around them.

The power of the fourth cut had Shina shooting forward far almost too fast for Adam to see, and when the man barely brought his blade up to block Shina’s swing the sheer power behind it had him flying back against the courtyard wall with enough power the wall cracked and threatening to shatter, his aura crackling and a small dent appearing in his blade. But his blade was also now glowing such a bright red it was almost blinding. Shina appeared a few paces away from him, and Adam released the wave in a dome around him, smashing into Shina and sending the man sprawling back a vicious cracking sound as a few bones broke, weakened by his Semblance.

Laughing in satisfaction despite the pain he was in, Adam closed the distance and brought his glowing blade down in a diving slice. Shina glared up at him, and vanished, the sheer speed having him appearing a few paces away, but the crack of one of his legs shattering from the strain was so audible it made even Adam cringe from the sound. Raising an eyebrow in a final challenge at Shina, Adam readied his sword and waited.

Snarling, unable to think straight due to the strange ebbing pulse of the cuts, and the throbbing agony he was in, Shina felt a powerful compulsion inside of his head that he had no idea how to fight.

Growling almost savagely, Shina forced a severe shove inside of himself, and the black tendrils grew so prominent it was haunting, his eyes black apart from the glowing gold rings of his eyes. The fifth cut was his limit, it was as high as he could currently go. And he’d never used it before.

He wasn’t even sure why he was using it _now_. But something inside of him had made him.

But that didn’t matter right now.

All that mattered was killing Adam.

Despite being ready, Adam’s eyes widened when Shina vanished again, leaving almost a black trail as he moved, barely swinging his block around in time to attempt to hold it as Shina smashed into him from another angle, his swings so powerful and fast that he got several in before he even touched the ground again from his pounce.

 _“_ **_You’re done!_ **” Shina sliced into Adam one last time, the bones of Shina’s arms shattering at the swing, and the courtyard wall behind Adam exploded as Adam was sent flying off into space, his aura shattering into dust as his blade glowed so bright it radiated like a star.

As Adam vanished from his sight, Shina heard something else crack inside of himself as the cuts closed and the full extent of the damage to himself hit him. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he dropped to his knees, which were also broken. Arms, legs, a few ribs, his pelvis. The damage to his body was excruciating, and with no aura left to fight off the damage he was forced to take the full brunt of it as the influence of the cuts bled out of him. Finally able to think straight again, panting, he looked over to the broken courtyard wall where Adam had gone flying through. Nodding in exhausted satisfaction, Shina let his sword drop from his grip and he let his head drop, closing his eyes as every breath came out as a wheeze. He had never gone up to the fifth cut before, despite knowing that he was likely able to, and while he'd been irked greatly when scolded by Professor Goodwitch for not telling them, as he looked around the damage to the courtyard and the damage also done to _himself_ he accepted that she might have had a point.

Coughing up another mouthful of blood, he gave in to the pounding in his head and the pulsing agony in his body, and passed out.

Down below, Adam stumbled to his feet with several broken bones of his own, bleeding profusely from several deep slashes along his torso and arms from Shina's last attacks, but his blade was glowing like a red star. Turning to stumble his way down the street towards the White Fang rendezvous point, he smirked in vicious satisfaction. Whether or not Shina was still alive or dead yet up in the courtyard, he didn’t care. The boy had more than proven his position. And been crushed for it.  
Adam had seen the state the boy was in by the last few swings.  
He'd had it.

The window of a nearby building shattered, and one of his men came flying out of it, a gunshot following him as a figure crouched into the window. Adam looked up and took in stock of the girl, recognising her almost immediately.

Young Chrysalis, the girl that the worst places of this cesspool of a city knew and lauded. The untouchable girl.

Shina’s best friend and teammate.

The girl dropped down to the street to crush her blade into the chest of the man she’d shoved out the window, and she turned to face him, blinking as she took in his appearance and the visage he presented. Spinning her pistol in her hand, she almost looked like she was about to engage him, but then her eyes went to his glowing sword and something in her Semblance told her it was time to get out of the way with the full speed available to her.

Smirking at her, Adam put a hand on the hilt of his blade and, as she dove through a ground floor window of the building, he released all the absorbed power of Shina’s fifth cut in a single crescent blast, the two story structure practically exploding as some of the energy of the blast went through the window itself and smashed into Chrystal’s front, her aura shattering as a vicious slice gashed open down her face and torso, and she sprawled to the ground, her sword and gun clattering away as she landed still.

Looking at the outside of the now charred and ruined building, with nothing but silence coming from inside, Adam hummed in satisfaction as he sheathed his blade with a click.

One team member fought and beaten, one destroyed. He wondered what might have happened to the other two, if they'd been separated.

And with Blake broken, it was only a matter of time before _she'd_ come for him. She wasn't the sort of girl to take his threats lightly, especially if she knew she deserved it.

But that wasn’t important as of this moment. With as many broken bones as he had, it was time to go. The day was still a momentous victory.

So he continued to make his way away.

+=+=+

When Lillian and Lucille arrived in the western courtyard, it was a special brand of hell. Corpses, blood, fire, rubble. Whatever had happened here could have easily been the work of monsters, but something in Lucille’s gut told her that wasn’t the case as they wandered through it making sure each White Fang member they went past was truly dead.

“Oh gods…” Lillian whispered before running forward, sliding her blades away as she dropped to her knees next to Shina. Checking his pulse, he was still alive, but barely, and he was fading as he bled out inside.

Running over, Lucille swore as she put her weapon onto her back. “Fuck. Let’s get him out of here. _Now._ ”

“You carry him. Where’s Chrystal?”

“If she’s not with him, she’s likely okay. She might have gone to get help.”

“Right. Come on. Let’s get him back.”

As Lucille went to scoop up Shina, the sky flashed with a silver light that shot over the city like a wave. It was intense and bright, and almost painful, so both girls closed their eyes and covered them to look away from it until it faded.

“What the hell was that?” Lillian groaned as she opened her eyes again, blinking a few times to get rid of the glare before staring up at the academy tower nearby, her eyes widening as she took in the dragon perched on the side of it, but she snapped out of it when Lucille straightned up next to her with Shina in her arms.

“I...have no fucking idea. But let’s go, or we’ll lose him.”

“Right.” Lillian sheathed her own swords so she could scoop up Shina's, and the two girls jogged out of the campus.

+=+=+

At the rendezvous point, Delilah raised her eyes when a mutilated and unconscious Cinder was carried in by Mercury, laying her in the airjet next to the equally unconscious and scorched Emerald. Mercury and Delilah looked at each other and raised their eyebrows with unsure expressions before Delilah sighed and undid her weapons laying them on the seat before then removing her gloves.

Before Mercury could ask what she was doing, she placed her hand on Emerald’s torso and concentrated, and Mercury watched as the wounded girl’s flesh began to twist and mutate and crawl itself back together, the burnt sections peeling off and dropping away as Delilah forced Emerald’s body to put itself back together.

A few moments later, Emerald gasped awake and coughed, spitting out a mouthful of dry blood as she sat up and looked around, her eyes widening when she saw the state of Cinder.

“Cinder! What happened?” She looked around at Delilah and Mercury, and the two could only shrug, neither of them having the answer.

“Something happened on top of the tower. You can fly one of these right?” Delilah gestured to the airjet they were in, and at Emerald’s nod Delilah pointed to the pilot’s seat. “Then get us out of here. Her allies will be in touch.”

Hesitating only for a moment, Emerald immediately complied when Delilah narrowed her eyes, and as the door closed and the rotors began to spin, Delilah and Mercury slumped down into available seats to rest, Mercury immediately going to work on repairing his leg, as Delilah couldn’t help but look out at the still burning ruins of the home she had helped destroy.

+=+=+

Three of four medical beds were filled, as Logan and Tesse looked down at them, Tesse still shedding tears as the casualty list grew more and more names as bodies were found or certain signs were reported in.

Tacita was unconscious with broken bones, a shattered aura, and some sort of psychological damage that was keeping her unconscious.

Kylar’s aura was shattered and drained completely dry, he had dust burns from using too much dust in his Semblance and losing his grip on it, and he had severe burns all over his torso that had him in an induced coma so the pain of it didn’t send him into shock.

Shina was close to death. It would have been easier to say what _wasn’t_ broken. And the strange black tendrils underneath his skin and in his eyes were fading concerningly slowly, and no-one had any idea what they were.

And then there was the empty bed. There had been no sign of Chrystal, but there were search parties scouring the city looking for the lost. But her absence was so agonisingly obvious that it hurt Tesse to her core. 

There were so many Grimm and so much destruction that the search parties were forced to move slowly, and the campus was practically off limits due to the stone dragon still drawing in the largest concentration of Grimm.

The casualty list kept growing, but the last reports of combat in the city had faded away.

The Battle Of Beacon was over.

The Battle Of Beacon was lost.

+=+=+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter to go, and then part one is complete. Oh boy.


	20. Frayed Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the aftermath of the Battle Of Beacon ripples its way through all who suffered through it, the loss of close friends tears open wounds that could change who the survivors are forever. The final hard questions get answered for Kylar, but with Shina and Tacita too wounded to wake up and Chrystal lost somewhere in Beacon, there's nothing to do but wait.
> 
> Across the continent, survivors of a horrific night look at the tapestry in grief and anger, and refuse to stop until it is unravelled in its entirety, and they can think of a thousand places to start.
> 
> A thousand red threads lay before them, and each of them make a different choice.  
> United no longer.

Opening his eyes, Kylar immediately had to close them as the intensity of colour around him battered his vision, and he winced in pain as his body reminded him it was injured. The broken bones ached as his aura gradually pulled them back together to fix them, and once again everything around him was too bright to be able to handle. But gradually it faded, and he was able to open his eyes again and look around. A familiar warmth was on his skin as he blinked, feeling the soft mattress underneath himself and warm blankets keeping out the early morning chill, even as sunlight came through the windows of his room. As he looked around, his mind groggily waking up and throwing off what had clearly been some sort of anaesthetic, he snapped to alertness when he realised he was in his bedroom back at his family home.

Looking around urgently, a bolt of panic in his chest, he pushed off the blankets despite the protests from his arm and torso, and swung to his feet, swaying as he tried to find a sense of balance. No longer in his battle clothes, he had been changed into a loose fitting shirt and sweatpants, makeshift pyjamas, and it made him feel exposed and vulnerable, the latent adrenaline from battle still fresh on his mind.

His legs gave out and he crashed to the floor, managing to catch himself on his knees, but his still broken arm screamed in pain as he landed on it. Forcing himself to ignore it, he rose to his feet again, picking up the sound of running footsteps in the hallway before his door opened just as he was swaying.

“Honey, no, back to bed.” Tesse’s face was pale and stressed, and her worried eyes softened at the urgent panic in her son’s expression. Taking a slow and gentle step forward, she placed a hand on his cheek to ground him, recognising the signs in his expression.

Shaking his head, Kylar took a shaky breath and let it out slowly, his eyes jittery and glancing around the room and his mouth dry from his rapid breathing.

“Where are the others? Why am I back here? What happened?”

“Easy honey, easy. You’re still in fight or flight mode. You need to take a seat, even just on the edge of your bed.” Tesse said placatingly and softly, guiding him to slump back onto his bed in a sitting position, clutching his broken arm, wrapped in a cast, to his chest.

“Mum, talk to me. What’s happened?”

“It’s...hard to explain. Take a few breaths for now so you can focus.”

“Everything’s bright again…” Wincing, Kylar squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head rapidly to try and clear it before it worsened the throbbing headache that was starting to form.  
Slowly, his heartrate slowed, and after a couple of minutes he opened his eyes again, clearer and calmer.

“There we go. Okay, better? You’re okay.”

“Better.” Kylar nodded tiredly, exhaustion still gripping him, and he looked to his mother. “But please answer me.”

“It’s…” Tesse sighed, looking down for a few moments as she thought of how to word it. “You passed out soon after you got yourself and Tacita to the evac zone. When it was time for all the wounded to be evacuated, we brought you and your team back here.”

“The others are here? Where are they? How’s Tacita?”

“Easy love, take it slowly.” Tesse cupped his cheek with her hand and gave him a gentle and placating look, before looking down again. “The others...Tacita’s body is almost fully healing, but she’s still unconscious, we aren’t sure why. As for Shina...he’s...going to be out for a while. His body has a lot of healing to do.”

“...he used the Cuts? What happened?”

“We’re not sure what he did, but he’s….it’ll be easier to show you, but for now let’s get you dressed.”

“And Chrystal?”

At that, his mother fell silent, and her hand dropped from his cheek so she could fold them in her lap and meet his eyes sadly, speaking softly.

“We haven’t found her.”

Eyes widening, Kylar immediately jolted in panic again, his muscles tensing. “Then _why_ are we back _here?_ Even if the others are healing for now, I have to go and find her. I’m not going to leave her there.”

“Breathe, love. Your father is still in Vale working with some of the other Huntsmen, he’s stayed behind to find her. But...Beacon is…”

“...how bad is it?” Kylar asked softly, clenching his teeth, but slightly reassured by his father staying behind.

After another pause, Tesse shook her head sadly. “Gone. It’s ruins now, and it belongs to the Grimm. There are maybe a handful of Huntsmen in good enough condition to move through the ruins and even then...they’ve barely made any ground, not since they had to pull the outpost back even further...”

“What happened?”

“The...dragon...that was spawning Grimm has been...dealt with, is the easiest way to explain it. For now. But Grimm are still spawning and appearing. Once we find Chrystal and bring her back, your father and I will explain as best we can, once he finds more answers there.”

Looking his mother in the eye sharply, lucidity and focus was returning to Kylar’s mind as he pinned her with his gaze and stared her down, trying to get everything out of her look that he was capable of. So far his memories of the battle were foggy, but he knew they’d clear in time and it would all come back to him.

There was a lot he’d have to deal with.

And he hoped that at least Tacita woke up before that happened, because he didn’t want to be alone when forced to think about the things he did. The things they _all_ did.

Pushing himself to his feet again, he began the process of getting dressed, plenty of his clothes still remaining in his room. Barely any of them would fit him properly now, he’d developed plenty of muscle during his time at Beacon, but he’d find an outfit easily enough, his mother looking down at the ground patiently and sadly as he silently vanished into his walk-in wardrobe and got ready.

Sorting through his large wardrobe, he paused with his hand on a shirt and closed his eyes to breathe slowly and deeply for a few moments, his heart still hammering and it had been since before he had passed out. As memories returned to him gradually, he winced and ran his healthy hand over his chest where he’d been scorched, looking down at the shimmering burn scars covering his chest from where his aura had healed the potent burns. What Cinder had used against him hadn’t been a Semblance, it hadn’t felt right.

A phantom burn went over his chest and he flinched, before pulling the shirt over his head carefully and adjusting it so it wasn’t too tight over his fresh and still tender scars.

Tightening his belt with one hand as he emerged from his wardrobe, he looked around at his room blankly, his mind far away as he did so. Everything was...bright. Just like it had been when he had woken up in the hospital. Walking over to his old desk, the white marble shining and glistening in his eyes, he ran his fingertips over it slightly and felt it warm underneath his touch.

“Honey? Are you okay?”

Snapping out of his distracted trance at his mother’s voice, he turned to face her and nodded at her concerned look. She stood and opened the door, and she followed him out.

“...do we know what happened to any of the others?”

“Official casualty lists are still being updated, but-”

“Mum, just...tell me. Please.”

Cutting off, Tesse hesitated as she walked with her son, leading him to the spare room Tacita and Shina were laid out in. Pausing at the closed door, she sighed in resignation before looking at Kylar with a stern and honest expression.

“We lost professor Ozpin. And I gave Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose a lift back here to Patch alongside their uncle, a friend of mine. They’re safe back with their father, but...neither of them are in a good state. As for official losses…”

She hesitated again, wanting to spare her son any pain, just as any mother would, but when he gave her a determined and strong look she felt a flinch of ache inside of her own heart at the expression. Even from waking up after what had happened, he was different now. It wasn’t surprising, but it was still painful to see.

“I don’t have the updated casualty list, but I have the most recent one that I received while back in Beacon. It’s downstairs in my office. But Kylar…”

“Mum. I have to see.”

“I know. That’s what I hate.” She put her hand on his healthy shoulder and gave him a deeply sad and pained look.

Opening the door for him, she stepped aside so he could immediately step inside to check on his teammates, and he froze as he stood and looked at the two filled beds. While Tacita looked peaceful for the most part, the start of a vicious scar was still visible on the exposed section of her collarbone, and Kylar slowly made his way over to lift her shirt slightly and check, knowing what he’d find.

A large ripping gash was down most of her torso, from her collarbone to the middle of her stomach. It was wide and the skin was tight, her aura working hard to heal as best it could, but Emerald’s sickle had gone in _brutally_ deep and done a lot of internal damage. The new skin glistened the dark blue of her aura, and it would have been a beautiful contrast against her pale skin if it wasn’t from scars and pain.

But other than that and a few broken bones that were apparently healing nicely, she looked peaceful.

“We don’t know why she’s still unconscious, and her aura keeps sparking and shimmering at random intervals. What happened to her?” Tesse asked quietly, stepping up next to her son to look down at the sleeping girl.

“She was fighting an illusionist. Emerald. And she was doing well, from what I could see. But then she...shut down. Something happened and she lost control. Emerald got her, and next I saw her was when I was picking her up.”

Reaching down, Kylar ran his fingers through her hair, looking down at her with a heavy worried expression that was more tired than it was panicked. Leaning down to kiss her on the forehead softly, he sighed and rested his forehead against hers for a moment before straightening up.  
Stepping back, he turned to Shina, and jolted at what his friend looked like.

Shina was horribly mangled, with clear signs of a scarily numerous number of broken bones, but even as Kylar and Tesse watched they could see them slowly healing, bones slowly clicking back into place and the natural contours and shape of his body returning to him. But what had Kylar frozen was his leader’s skin. Underneath the surface of his skin, particularly around his eyes and up his neck, were what looked like a series of hair-thing black tendrils, like veins underneath his skin. They were incredibly thin, and wouldn’t have even been noticeable if there weren’t so many of them.

As Kylar leaned in to scrutinise them, his eyes wide in confusion and worry, he watched as they pulsed and ebbed slightly as if there was a pulse going through them. Pulling down the covers of Shina’s bed, he saw that the tendrils extended across most of his torso in an intricate web, seeming to start from over his heart.  
Swallowing in a strange uneasy fear as he covered Shina’s torso and straightened, he looked over to his mother with a horrified look, and she thinned her lips before stepping over and gently reaching down to open Shina’s eyes, showing that the veins were present and were so thick around his pupils that the gold looked almost toxic when put against the dark.

“It’s fading, it was _much_ worse when we found him, but they’re getting paler and thinner slowly.”

“What _are_ they?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. You know his Semblance. I don’t.”

“I...I’ve never seen it do anything like that.” Kylar let out a deep and worried breath and swallowed again as he gently traced a finger along one of the tendrils in confused fear. “He gets paler, and the gold in his eyes gets brighter, but...I've never seen anything appear _under_ his skin before. And even those initial changes from the first three cuts fade immediately after he snaps out of it. _Never_ lingering like this.”

“With communications down, we can’t get in contact with his parents, and with airspace restricted we have no way of getting him or Chrystal home.” Tesse said sadly, crossing her hands in front of her as she kept an eye on her son as he thought, a frown on his face and his eyes closed. 

Without a word, he left the room, making his way across the large estate mansion towards the main living room where he stood by the large windows, breathing heavily and almost angrily as he looked out over the grounds. Tesse caught up a minute later and watched him with cautious eyes, knowing anger to be an emotion that Kylar almost never let himself feel, having always considered it a waste of time and a waste of the energy it took to burn it.  
But now, with everything that gave him purpose burnt to the ground. Kylar had the luxury of time, and enough energy with nothing to do with it. After a minute of breathing heavier and heavier as he thought over everything that had happened, as his sharp mind returned the memories of that night to him piece by piece, and showed him everything that he had done and everything he had seen around him, he grew angrier and angrier, scrunching his eyes closed as his body wanted to cry in frustration and grief but his rage refusing to let it out.

His body shaking, he turned slowly to face his mother, pinning her with a cold and livid stare which she met calmly.

“Why did it happen in the first place?”

“Kylar, I _promise_ your father and I will explain.”

“ _No_ , mum. Tell me. Tell me why. Why did I have to work myself to the bone with my friends figuring out an attack in the first place? Why were they there? Why now? What were they after? What was the _point?_ ” He narrowed his eyes as the fire in his blood turned into ice, and he ground his feet into the polished wooden floor, his aura flashing in small amounts around him. “Why did we have to kill people for a cause we weren’t warned about? You _knew_ something was coming. _Ozpin_ knew, and I knew he did from the start. Ozpin, the General, _and you and dad._ ”

Listening to his outburst, spoken coldly and bluntly as his eyes turned into an ice only ever found when you reach a point so far past anger and grief that they merge into something else, Tesse felt her heart wrench in guilt as she looked at what had happened to her son, what was clearly going through his head and everything he had done.  
Because he was right. Ozpin and his inner circle had known something was coming, something large, it was why James had brought his fleet. But they’d kept it secret, letting the confusion linger so heavily in the air that her son and his team had given in, just as team RWBY and a few other students had. Because it had been kept secret, and now her son’s school was a ruin and more of his friends were dead than he could ever be ready to discover.

When he finished throwing questions at her, questions shaped like accusations and edged with razor sharp knives, they looked at each other silently as she struggled with the different parts of herself, and he could see her doing it, patiently waiting.

“Okay.” Tesse deflated for a moment, surrendering, before nodding in determination as she decided that her decision was _finally_ the right one. She gestured to one of the armchairs, and as Kylar sat in it carefully and cautiously, she sat across from him and folded her hands on her lap.

“It’s...complicated.”

“I don’t care.”

“I know.” 

Tesse sighed, looking down at her lap and closing her eyes for a moment, her mind going far away to a time two decades ago when she and the rest of her team, Team BLAK, had sat in Ozpin’s office across from him at his desk and he had told them a story that had changed their lives forever. That had _ruined_ their lives forever.  
And here it was again. A new generation.  
But the same cruel, cruel reality.

Opening her eyes, her mind was still far away, and a silent sigh came out of her throat as she shook her head and looked into her son’s eyes.

“I know you’ve always wondered why I read so many to you when you were a kid, but...what was your favourite fairytale?”

+=+=+

Haven was glowing with candlelight as the city held a vigil for those lost in the battle of Beacon, for the casualties that had been found and for those that were yet to be found. People stood outside the academy holding candles, taverns and businesses lit torches in their windows, and all normal street lights were turned off so it was only the gentle glow of grief and remembrance that shined up to the sky in silent mourning.  
But there was no true way of even comprehending the number of students who wouldn’t be coming home. It was the same for every academy; the losses outnumbered the living, and only the surviving students could comprehend just how many of their companions and partners were missing.

Sitting up on the roof of the Vale estate, Angel passed Alice the bottle of strong spirit they’d been drinking from for the past hour, a backpack with extra bottles inside of it, and Alice silently took a large swig before passing it back, her legs swinging off the edge of the roof. The Vales were wealthy enough to warrant an estate on one of the higher levels of the city, giving the two of them a magnificent view of all the candles and torches in the streets below.

Letting the burning alcohol sear and sour her mouth for a few moments just for the sensation, Alice swallowed and hissed a breath at the burn, closing her eyes and wiping the constant tears from her face. Next to her, Lillian looked down off the roof, her legs crossed instead of swinging across the edge, and she pulled the blanket she had snatched from her bed tighter around herself, more for the comfort instead of any need to keep out the cold.

They had been sitting silently since the vigil had started, just after sunset, and they had no interest in moving anytime soon. Apart from a few low-spoken comments in rare moments, they hadn’t truly spoken a word. With Alice’s father at the hospital dealing with the wounded, Angel’s parents out on the border with Lillian’s parents and brother dealing with rampaging Grimm that were being drawn in by the grief, and Lucille’s family living far out on the coast, they had all found their way to each other on the Vale estate roof, a spot they had regularly found themselves at ever since they’d been teamed up.

Plenty of their classmates were down at the vigil, but the four of them were mourning and remembering in their own way, Lillian taking the bottle and taking an almost self-destructively deep drink, casually tossing it to Angel, who caught it almost without looking.

Angel’s skin was a myriad of vicious and temporarily disfiguring burns. Most would heal away without any scar or sign they had ever been there, her aura was just too potent, but there were plenty of more intense ones that would leave vicious scars including almost the entirety of her right arm.  
The sight in her right eye was slightly damaged from burns as well, but it was expected to heal eventually. Though the colour of her eye was slightly different due to healing from her aura, with her once green eye now having swirls of white. But overall she was expected to make a full recovery, simply leaving shimmering white scars on slightly tanned skin.

The three of them glanced over at the sound of a cigarette lighter next to them as Lucille, heavy eyes from crying and pale from lack of sleep, lit up with a dead expression and took a deep drag, closing her eyes and letting it out slowly.

“Thought you quit.” Angel spoke quietly, her throat hoarse from her own crying, resting her head on Lucille’s shoulder, the girl resting her head on top of Angel’s in return.

“Special exception for tonight.”

“It’s that sort of night.” Alice nodded from Angel’s other side, well aware of the small bag of her own vice in her pocket that she hoped the others didn’t know about, that she’d slip away to find catharsis in later.

“Do we…” Lillian coughed from a hoarse throat as she sat up properly, wrapping her blanket tighter around herself and looking at the candlelight near the academy. “Do we know how many we lost, yet?”

“Most.” Alice replied in a dead voice, not looking over at her friend as she answered. With her dad being as important a doctor as he was, he had access to the lists, and she knew how to get into his terminal. She’d been keeping an eye, no matter how destructive it was to her already dangerous delicate state.

“...who?” Lucy leaned forward and glanced over at Alice, who snorted emptily and sighed dejectedly.

“BLUU, PRSM, MIRR, SCRT, three members of TINT, half of GLMR.” Alice finished her list and then immediately snatched up the bottle and finished the dregs, tossing it over her shoulder and none of them reacting at all when it smashed behind them.

There was complete silence for a minute before Angel spoke in barely a whisper. “...us, SSSN, and ABRN are the only teams to come back with everyone. And Sun’s vanished.”

Lillian shook her head in a cold and drained despair, not objecting when Alice shuffled closer so she could wrap her blanket around the both of them, Alice snuggling into her side and shedding a few more silent tears as Lillian sighed and closed her eyes.

“Do you think they’ve found Chrystal yet?” Alice asked quietly, a mumble that they all heard due to the silence on the rest of the roof, and while they all hesitated to respond Lucille finished her cigarette and nodded as reassuringly as she could.

“They will.”

“...think she’ll be alive when they find her?” Alice asked even quieter, and none of them knew how to answer in a way that would convince her, so Lillian merely held her tighter and let her cry and hide underneath the blanket.

It had been one of the hardest things to do to hop onto the airship and leave Beacon behind while knowing there were still Grimm and plenty of people still missing, but orders had been orders and they were only students, without permission or authority to make their own choices. Haven had lost too many students already, so all surviving ones had been pulled back home. Each of them had been dragged back to their respective homes after being debriefed, separated from each other despite the cruelty in it, and the moment they’d all been able to they’d rushed back to be with each other. Eventually each of their families had been forced to accept that to part them from each other would be too cruel to be helpful, despite their worry for the girls.

They’d barely spoken a word to anyone who wasn’t each other, with the notable exceptions being the other students who had been at Beacon the previous night. Slightly more than twenty-four hours ago, the city of their friends had been set on fire and they’d fought until the streets were...covered.

How were the four of them meant to deal with that? They each had their ways.

Angel grabbed a new bottle from her bag and popped the cap, taking a deep drink. Lucille grabbed another cigarette from the pack and lit up. Alice silently stood to make her way inside to the bathroom to grab a glass of water, pulling the small bag of narcotic pills from her pocket. Meanwhile Lillian merely sat and stared out into the void, pulling the blanket tighter around herself and letting numbness wash through her.

When Alice returned a minute later, she was swaying slightly, and she slumped back down next to Lillian, her eyes unfocused and a blessed fog over her mind. None of the others suspected anything, and Lillian wrapped the blanket around her again and Alice snuggled back in.

“So now what?” Angel spoke up in a dead voice again, glancing over at Lucille, who raised her eyebrows in surprised confusion before lowering her smoke from her lips.

“What do you mean?”

“Do we just...let this have happened?”

The other three looked at each other with curious looks, frowning, before Alice tilted her head in thought and cleared her throat.

“Cinder and her team. The three others who did this. They travelled there from here. They went to Beacon alongside us.”

“...yeah…” Lucille frowned, flicking the butt off the roof and crossing her arms on her lap, crossing her legs and tilting her head. “But they _weren’t_ from here. From the Academy anyway.”

“Right, they told everyone they were privately trained.” Alice nodded with a playfully curious hum, getting a raised eyebrow look from Angel who dismissed it after a few moments.

“So...how did that happen?” Raising her eyebrows, Angel drummed her hands on her lap as energy returned to her in the form of anxious anger.

“What are you thinking?” Lucille frowned at Angel, who sighed and shook her head.

“I don’t know. Clearly their transcripts were solid enough to qualify them without suspicion. Right?”

Mulling over it, Lillian shrugged off the blanket so the cold air could hit her skin and wake her back up, her eyes refocusing as she perked up and snapped back to alertness, her mind speeding back up and firing off. Cinder and her team had gone to Vytal to represent Mistral, but they weren’t Haven students. Which meant they would have required official approval, which could only have come from Headmaster Lionheart.  
As the vigil reached its peak below them, and some people below began to softly sing, but only in hushed tones, the four girls of Team LAVA looked down at first and then at each other, the same thought in their minds;

Something had let Cinder into Haven, and she had burned down a city.

And if that something was still here, it was still dangerous.

Because if it had been so easy for Cinder to get into Mistral to destroy _Beacon_ , how easy would it be to do the same to Haven itself?

As the thought occurred to each of them one by one, each of them tensed, looking around at each other silently once again, one by one they all met the increasingly angry steel in Lucille’s expression.  
With the academy no longer in session for the foreseeable future it meant that plenty of students had gone back home to their villages and towns outside of the city.  
And far too many Huntsman teams had been dying on missions in the past months, the city was scarily empty of anyone who could do something about whatever might be going on.

The four girls looked out over the city, Angel taking Lucille’s hand in hers anxiously, and Lucille squeezed it back, meanwhile Lillian took a deep breath and held it.

Team LAVA was one of the last fully intact Huntsman teams in the city.

And they now had nothing but anger, grief, energy, skill, and free time.

It was time to work.

Someone had to.

+=+=+

Sensation coming back to her body, the first thing Chrystal did was pitifully yelp as the initial tensing caused a fierce sting of pain to go through her body, especially along her face and neck from her facial muscles spasming upon coming back to consciousness.

Her eyes fluttering open tiredly, she immediately had to close them due to the smoke and dust still lingering in the air, and a dry cough escaped her throat as she sat up.

Running a check on her body, tensing each muscle group one by one from her toes up to her jaw and eyes, she was relieved that nothing seemed to be broken. Opening her eyes again as wide as she could stand, she looked around at the smoldering ruin she was in, with caved in sections of roof and an entire wall reduced to rubble and collapsed timber beams. Rolling out from underneath the debris that had covered her and would have pinned her if she’d been a couple of inches to the right, she groaned again as she pushed herself to her feet before clamping a hand over her face as another fierce shot of pain went through sensitive skin, and she felt a chill of ice go through her blood as her fingers ran along a thick slash of fresh scar tissue, her gloved fingers gliding over it.

With her heart briefly stopping in her throat, she looked around at the destroyed chaos around her, taking in the numerous bodies, plenty of which were now charred, and her memory flashed with how it had been her to do it. Immediately stumbling over to a corner and throwing up, she mostly emptied out dried blood that she had swallowed into her stomach while unconscious, along with thick phlegm from being so dehydrated after breathing in so much dust.

Coughing painfully, she threw up again as another wave of nausea swept through her as the memories of the previous night shot through her mind, before she froze in place as jigsaw pieces gradually clicked together.

_‘Petyr. Cypher.’_

Frozen in place as her blood turned to ice and every inch of her skin tingled, she squeezed her eyes shut and as her body went to cry it found it didn’t have enough water for tears, so instead it merely hurt and ached with dry sobs as she leant against the wall, both hands resting on the stone. A few minutes later, she regained control over herself and straightened up, forcing herself to focus as she swept down and grabbed her pistol and sword, sliding them back into their places safely with the other ones, and stumbled out of the ruined building and into a particular kind of hell.

The entire city around her was rubble, ruin, corpses, and streaks of blackening blood.

Looking around with wide and horrified eyes, she quickly leapt up and scrambled back up onto the campus walls to get a solid view, before her eyes widened further as she took in the destroyed top of the tower, with the giant form of the stone dragon perched on top of the ruin. Unable to think of a single thing to say, she simply stumbled back with her head craned up as she took in the massive aberration, before turning around and looking out over the city.  
Beacon was a truly massive city, by far the largest on the planet, and almost all of it was a burning and crumbled ruin. From her perch she could see the numerous hordes of Grimm moving through the streets, more than she’d seen in a long time. The entire city now looked like the horrific ruins of Mountain Glenn, except far larger, and leagues harder to traverse due to the sheer level of destruction and the hordes of Grimm prowling through it.

When it was intact, walking from one end of the city to the other could take six hours or more. But like this? Collapsed into rubble and swarming with Grimm? It could take _days_. And likely would.

Glancing around, she needed a much higher perch for a better view, and she scanned the view of her surroundings. With the communications tower destroyed, it was now shorter than the tower of Beacon Academy.

Narrowing her eyes as she scanned, she caught sight of the crashed capital gunship that had been the last one to go down, the angle it had crashed into the ground now had the top of the radio tower the highest point in the city, and certainly high enough she’d be able to find some sort of way through or out. Measuring the distance as she scanned around, she glanced up at the rapidly setting sun and bit her lip. The trip across the city to the gunship through this type of ruins, with this number of Grimm, could easily take most of a day, even for her. And with the sky almost completely dark from the sunset, she wasn’t going to risk it.

Thinning her lips and closing her eyes to center herself and shut out what she was feeling until she was safe, not wanting her grief and despair to draw in Grimm, she came up with a basic plan and hopped down the wall, heading across campus and having to deal with the occasional Grimm as she went, moving towards the dorm blocks.

Thankfully most of the dorm blocks seemed relatively undisturbed, with damage mostly being rubble that had fallen onto it, instead of the buildings themselves being destroyed. Several were burnt and a few of the larger ones had clearly been ransacked, but she wriggled in through a window and dropped down into the hallway of the building their own dorm was inside of she looked around with her pistol up until she was satisfied she was alone. Making her way through the dark halls as silently as she could, she quietly and stealthily crept upstairs and through the second floor hallways until she reached the SKTC dorm and grabbed her keys from her pocket, unlocking the door and stepping inside, closing and locking it behind her.

Letting out a breath in a sigh as she relaxed and calmed herself, resting her forehead against the wood of the door with her fingers still on the lock, she let a few tears escape before shaking her head to snap out of it a bit longer before turning and starting to strip out of her damaged armour, laying the pieces on her bed as she went, pointedly not looking at the other beds in the room until she was ready.

If the others hadn’t found her, they must have either; had good reason, were still looking, or...in the worst case scenario…

She immediately banished where that thought was going and schooled her features as she methodically removed her armour, stripping down before ducking into the kitchen, unsurprised when the lights didn’t turn on, going off the flashlight of her scroll.

Turning the tap of the sink, she groaned in relief when it spat out water, and she immediately took a deep drink, spitting out dust and gargling to remove the traces of dried blood and ash, and taking another drink. Snatching some dried food from the cupboard, she ate as much as she could with a blank face but closed eyes, cramming as much fuel into her body as possible, before standing and heading to the bathroom. There wouldn’t be any hot water, but that didn’t bother her as she stripped out of the last of her clothes and turned the taps of the shower, sealing out the shock of the cold as she instead focused on removing all the blood and grime, the water turning brown and black as it went down the drain. She scrubbed the crusted blood from her skin furiously, leaving the skin raw as she removed every last speck of it, before washing the blood and ash out of her hair.

An ungodly amount of time later, she turned off the water and dried herself, before finally braving looking herself in the mirror. Gasping in a dried sob as she took in her appearance, she stared wide eyed at the large scar that went down her face, staring at the top right of her hairline and going straight down, over her eyelid and her miraculously undamaged eye, and ending just below her chin, the skin glimmering dark purple from her aura scar.

Closing her eyes as a lump of despair entered her throat, she finally choked out a sob with her hands resting on the counter, and she let herself stand there as she cried, gripping the counter until her hands hurt from the strain. The dorms were mostly soundproofed, so she let herself sob properly, knowing she was safe from Grimm unless they wanted to bash through several thick concrete and plaster walls to get to her.

Eventually she was just sore and drained, her eyes closed and her head tilted to look down at the counter. Banging her hand on the counter in despairing frustration, she enjoyed the satisfaction of it and hit it again and again until her aura sparked and the top of the counter cracked slightly.

Petyr gone. 

Cypher gone. 

Her home destroyed. 

And potentially left for dead, but that was something she refused to truly believe.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she snatched up her scroll and finally left the bathroom, searching through her closet and pulling out a set of comfy clothes. Pulling them on, she silently grabbed the giant case of maintenance gear from their shared storage cupboard and put it down on the dining table, then grabbed her armour, harness, and weapons, and plopped herself down. Taking another moment to close her eyes and center herself, she worked on entering a state of mindless acceptance, with only the work in front of her. The next two hours were spent in dead-eyed and numb silence as she did all of her repairs, patching up the tears and frays in her armour with neat and practiced stitches, replacing the damaged components of her pistols with spares and cleaning them out before reassembling them, and sharpening her blades.  
Grabbing her travelling backpack from the cupboard she put it down on the table and began to pack for her trip, knowing it could potentially take _days_ to get out of the massive ruins safely. Filling it with travel rations from their supplies, two canteens of water, basic maintenance equipment and tools for her gear, and a travel first-aid kid, she hesitated before the next part.  
Standing slowly, she went over to her bed and reached under it to pull out her weapon case, where she kept all the different attachments and ammunition. Putting it down on the table quietly, she reached in to stock up on ammo, pulling out the several boxes of different dust bullets that Kylar had bought her, including the precious hardlight dust bullets, and put them into the backpack, knowing she would have to leave the large case itself behind.

Last were two spare changes of clothes in case there were any rips, burns, or other sorts of damage to her main set of travel clothes underneath her armour.

With her bag packed, her gear repaired and ready, she was showered, she’d eaten and rehydrated...there was no putting it off any longer. So, setting an alarm on her scroll for just before dawn the next morning, she pulled back the covers of her bed for the last time, and silently snuggled in to sleep as best as she could despite knowing the sorts of nightmares that waited for her.

As she drifted off, the exhaustion winning in the fight against her grief and fear, the faces of Petyr and Cypher flickered through her mind, the first two people she had ever loved, the two first people she had loved in different ways, and both had been taken from her. She silently curled up into a ball and shed a last few tears as she drifted off, needing the rest to start her journey to safety the next morning.

+=+=+

All there was, was pain. Crushing, agonising pain, and yet she fought back to consciousness regardless, trapped in complete darkness and unable to move, barely able to breathe from the weight pressed down on her. Blinking her eyes as much as she could, she couldn’t make out a single source of light from how she was buried, and she took as many rapid yet deep breaths as she could to bury and swallow her rising panic. Stretching her fingers as best as she could she was thankful she had been holding her weapons tightly at the end, as they were both still within reach, and she grasped them tightly before closing her eyes tightly and focusing her aura as much as possible, as little of it as there was.

Blinking away, she appeared in the air above the rubble she had been buried under, and a silent cough of pain escaped her chest when she landed back down on it roughly and sprawled down the mound until she crashed onto the cracked stones of the street, the breath leaving her lungs in a massive silent wheeze that brought her into a coughing fit, her throat laden with dust.  
Pushing herself to her feet shakily, sliding her weapons into their unique clips on her belt, she rolled her shoulders to stretch out the damaged muscles, aware of the sheer amount of damage done to her body. Nothing seemed to be broken, the desk having protected her from direct impacts apart from her forehead and what felt to be part of her pelvis, but the crushing pressure had done enough harm that she was wobbling on her feet.

Blinking her eyes open, she looked around at the street, the sky dark as night truly set in. She could practically _feel_ the Grimm close by, but she took the time to study what was around her. The street had been cleared, bodies of White Fang moved aside, with the destroyed bodies of the Knights and Paladins still spread around as metal scrap.

But her teammates' bodies were missing, having been taken either by whoever was scouting the city, or by... _her._

Bright green eyes flashed and her pink aura crackled as the traitor’s face flashed into her mind, and she snarled silently and viciously, her mind foggy and still waking up but able to remember what she had seen perfectly.  
Putting a hand to her head and feeling the crusted blood from where she’d taken the rock to the forehead, she didn’t feel any scar tissue, which meant the hit had been _hard_ but not particularly _destructive_. It meant she was able to get moving, but she was far away from anywhere even remotely safe, if the rubble around her was any indication.

With a wounded body, a foggy mind, and likely damaged weapons and clothes, with nowhere safe in the city for her to rest and recover, she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Time wasn’t exactly rushing by, the battle was done.

Taking in a heaving breath and wrapping an arm around her torso, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath before letting it out slowly. She blocked out the destruction around herself, the smoke she could still smell in the air, the ash underneath her feet, the dried blood covering most surfaces around her.  
She didn’t want to know how many more of her friends were dead. Her teammates were gone. Was Chrystal? What about the rest of SKTC? What about BRGT?  
Shaking her head, she brushed the thoughts away and put them into a box to prioritise later, knowing that her safety and survival had to come first. As much as the thought put a sour taste into her mouth, she had to retreat and recover.

She had to go home.

And the moment she was back to form, she’d do her job;

_Hunting down rogue Huntsmen._

And there was only one she could possibly care about hunting down and ripping to pieces. And she would dedicate every drop of blood in her body to the task.

Snarling as a black, angry, pained hatred filled her blood and thoughts, Cypher’s eyes flickered with her aura.

_‘Delilah...’_

With a fierce focus of her mind, she vanished, knowing she was leaving the ruins of Beacon, a source of a year of joy, behind her forever.  
Ruins that her teammate had caused.

_‘Delilah...I need to know why. I need to know._

_And once you tell me, I’m going to bleed you dry._

_Lelise, Ursa...I promise.’_

+=+=+

Standing in the small room she’d been given until it was time to meet her new queen for the first time, Delilah paced back and forth. The walls were a thick and smooth obsidian, all in one piece as if the castle had simply grown from the ground like a crystal, but it also felt strangely...alive.  
Doors moved on their own, the walls pulsed, and if she put her hands against it she could almost hear voices inside of her mind.

But she had cut off her investigations, saving them for later if she was still alive, and instead paced in slow and steady circles. The meeting with her new queen would be any time now, and it was the first time in months that she felt afraid. It had almost seemed like the feeling had been stolen from her by her experiments with the Grimm and the creation of her children, as everything had started to dull away the more births she did and the more Grimm blood she pulled through her system.  
But in the past twenty-four hours, she had felt fear twice, for the first time in months. The more important one was right now, where she potentially faced death despite everything she had betrayed and sacrificed. But the more interesting one had been staring down Cypher when she had been caught.

It was as if it had come off Cypher as a wave, it had to have been an outside source if even her children had felt the urge to back away from her team leader. The strange uneasy fear had bitten into Delilah no matter how much she had attempted to push it to the side.

An amusing and unfortunate time for her friend’s Semblance to evolve, if that’s what had happened. But that didn’t matter now. She was...dead, sacrificing herself to bring down two of Delilah’s favourite children.  
It had worked, the building had crushed them.  
A valiant sacrifice. But considering Delilah could simply birth new children, it was ultimately a fruitless one.

But still, Delilah felt a lump in her throat when she remembered the way Cypher had looked at her. Those green eyes…

Shaking her head, Delilah dismissed any thoughts of her teammates, of how she felt about what she had done to them, saving them for later when she had the time to truly accept the feelings about destroying her own life. For now, she had far bigger problems.

Hearing heavy footsteps coming down the hallway outside, she straightened up and folded her hands behind her back. The door opened silently, and one of the tallest men Delilah had ever seen stood outside of it. Dark skin and hair, piercing eyes, and as broad as he was tall, he was one of the most intimidating and fascinating people she had ever seen.

Raising an eyebrow at being stared at, the man simply stepped to the side and spoke in a low gravelly voice that was almost a natural growl. “She’ll see you now.”

“Thank you.” Delilah stepped out and began to follow him, her hands at her sides, and he spoke to her without turning his head.

“I wouldn’t thank me. You did monstrous things just for power, kid. If she decides you’re better off dead, I doubt the gods would disagree.”

“Probably. I’ll ask them their opinions if I see them.” 

Delilah shrugged casually, and he glanced over at her with a curious expression and scrutinising eyes, but he didn’t say anything, simply continuing to lead her to the grand doors of what Delilah knew was the large dining hall of the obsidian castle.

The doors opened without prompting, and she walked in at his side to gaze around the room she had glimpsed but had yet to be in. Massive glass windows showing the sickly sky and surrounding pits of darkness, the same obsidian crystals were abundant, along with many others that glowed a purple hue that pulsed as she walked past.  
The table itself was barren. A simple stone slab surrounded by haphazard wooden chairs that were little more than jagged stones and timber strapped together with wire. Not exactly the furnishings of a royal throne room, but Delilah supposed that when you lived in the grounds of where the Grimm were born you couldn’t exactly be picky about the decor.

A number of figures sat around the table, and all were watching her with their own different sorts of scrutiny and study. A tall and thin man in a beautiful suit and coat simply regarded her with a raised eyebrow, but otherwise his expression was blank. Cinder sat across from him, heavily wounded and barely conscious, with Emerald and Mercury standing on either side of her but slightly behind. The man who had escorted her returned to his own chair next to the other man, meanwhile a third man, crouching on his chair instead of sitting, looked at her with wide and excited eyes, his hands templed together and rubbing excitedly as he smiled.

“There she is! The girl of the hour.” He giggled, clapping in anticipation. “Oh you did so _well_ with your little science experiment. It was so beautifully abhorrent!”

“She’s even younger than I had expected.” The suited man raised his eyebrow higher and his mouth turned into a sneer. “A _child_ turned traitor, and Beacon Academy burned for it. Pathetic.”

At the far end of the room, staring out at the pools of darkness and with her back to the rest of them, her hands in front of her, a tall inhuman woman spoke with a hauntingly smooth voice that almost made the room shiver.

“Silence. That judgement is not for you, Watts.”

Turning to face the room, Salem seemed to almost glide as she slowly made her way to her chair at the end of the table and sat into it, folding her hands on her lap in a way that was perfectly relaxed and yet _screamed_ of danger. Delilah had to swallow a gulp as she took in the woman; impossibly bone white, sickly purple veins crawling along her skin, and her eyes were like being stared at by the soul of a Grimm itself.  
She almost couldn’t breathe as she was looked at, but she didn’t flinch. She didn’t react outwardly in any way at all, and Salem raised an eyebrow.

“Come here child, don’t be shy.”

Slowly, Delilah entered the room properly, the doors closing behind her of their own accord. As the rest of the table watched her with wary eyes, she made her way around and approached Salem, stopping an appropriate number of paces away and looking at the ground, giving a tense bow.

“My Queen, it’s...an honour to finally meet you.”

“Welcome, child. Delilah, yes?”

“Yes my queen. Delilah Blair.” Delilah risked looking up, and Salem was staring at her with the most scrutinising look imaginable, that was also tinged with a gentle curiosity, almost playful in the way her eyes seemed to be tearing her apart.

“Do not hide your true form with me, Delilah. Are you ashamed of what you have become? Of what you have achieved?”

“N-no ma’am. It’s just...a lingering habit, from blending in.” Delilah stammered, quickly wetting her lips as her rapid breathing had dried them. Her answer seemed to satisfy Salem, who raised a perfect eyebrow all the same.

“Do not hide.”

Hesitating for only the briefest moment before nodding obediently, Delilah released the small amount of her Semblance she was constantly using to hide the mutations that her experiments had done to her appearance.   
Her eyes bled black, writhing tendrils infecting them and making the dark green of her iris pulse sickeningly, her skin paled and the same tendrils appeared throughout, especially down her arms and underneath her fingernails. Her already dark black hair became as impossibly black as the void, absorbing light instead of reflecting it, so looking at her long black hair was like looking at nothing.

Her twisted and inhuman form revealing itself, Delilah felt the pulses of power and ease go through her system as she allowed the influence of her experiments to return to her mind, and she felt herself stand slightly taller, and her unease and fear bled away.

Down the table, Watts raised both eyebrows but otherwise contained his expression, meanwhile both Mercury and Emerald shivered, sickened with vivid memories of a basement, buckets of body parts, and those sickly green eyes looking at a corpse as if she was in love with it.

The man crouching on his chair gasped in what was a form of transfixed amazement, and he cackled in wonder. “Well well! She’s _beautiful,_ my queen!”

When Delilah turned her head and met his eyes with her own, he immediately stilled, unblinking, as he stared into the dark green depths that pulsed and ebbed, a grateful smile appearing on her lips that he found hard to look away from.  
But she didn’t speak, instead quickly turning back to Salem and looking down again.

“Better?” Salem rested an elbow on the armrest of her throne and delicately traced her own jaw with the tip of her finger in contemplation as she gave a small cold smile to the girl in front of her. Shivering happily as her mutilations were set free and she could be her true self, Delilah nodded gratefully and bowed.

“Much better. Thank you, my queen.”

“Your work alongside Cinder was quite fascinating to observe. But you are here not because you assisted her, but because you had begun your path before you even sought her out. And that is what is interesting to me. That it is who you are, without prompting.”

Unsure how to respond, Delilah merely stood quietly and nodded to acknowledge she had heard, a placid and neutral expression on her face. Salem tilted her head ever so slightly as she continued taking Delilah in.

“When Cinder informed me what you had asked for in return for your service, I was surprised, and intrigued. Are you aware of what it could take from you? Are you certain it is something you want?”

“I...I am, my queen.”

“Why?” Salem’s voice hardened, and it wasn’t an optional question. It was a demand for the truth, and her eyes sharpened to show it.

“I...want to create the _perfect_ being. And living flesh is wonderful, and _pliable_ , but it alone isn’t enough. With black flesh...combining the two...I wish to create _wonders_.” Delilah’s certainty and enthusiasm grew with each word she said, until eventually she was standing straight and her eyes were confident and glowing with excitement even as she held her composure.

Pausing to consider it, Salem slowly stood and approached Delilah, towering above her with her hands in front of her lap. Unable to force herself to move, Delilah could only gulp as Salem reached up and cupped her cheek in her hand, a small smile on the inhuman woman’s lips.

“If I give you this, you _belong to me_. You are aware of what it is?”

“I am, my queen.”

“You were invaluable to Cinder in the destruction of Beacon, and alongside Cinder's own achievements, you achieved your task with perfection. Due to that, I will allow you _one last chance_ to change your mind and leave here with your life. So tell me again that it is what you want.”

Staring up into Salem’s eyes, the woman’s hand cool and gentle on her cheek, Delilah’s eyes shone with eagerness and determination as she gave a small eager smile. “It is what I want, my queen.”

Taking Delilah in for a moment, Salem gently stroked the girl’s cheek with her thumb. The girl was a monster, and revelled in it, but not the same way that Tyrian did. Tyrian was a monster by being a butcher for pleasure, Delilah was a monster because she had a _purpose_ . An _ambition_. And she was willing to allow Salem to twist that ambition to use it for herself and clamp a collar around her neck, as long as she got to achieve what she wished.

It was perfect. This girl was a prize in ways she couldn’t possibly know.

Yet.

But Salem would make use of her.

“Then let us create wonders.”

Salem smiled, before gripping Delilah’s throat tightly in her hand and placing her other hand just in front of the girl’s mouth, fingers parted to magically force the girl to keep her jaw open wide. With another thought from Salem, sickly black sludge emerged from the floor, the black flesh of the Grimm, the flesh of the pits of darkness itself, and it slid and wrapped its way up Delilah’s still-armoured form and crawled its way up along her neck.

Despite what must have been horrifying, Delilah didn’t flinch or resist, her eyes were instead determined and willing as the black flesh forced its way into her mouth and down her throat.

The others watched as Delilah’s eyes rolled back in her head and her skin paled further, before the black tendrils grew larger and began to spread like vines underneath her flesh, bulging and pulsing as the seemed to wrap around every vein in the girl’s body and infect it, blackening her blood and stripping away the vibrant red lifeblood of humanity. Once she was filled, Salem dropped her, and Delilah crumpled to the ground retching as her aura crackled wildly, sparking and shimmering as it attempted to fight the intrusion, but Delilah used every ounce of might with her Semblance to hold it in place and force it to adjust as her body continued to shift and change, her skin almost as bone white as Salem’s and the sickly green of her eyes now pulsing with her heartbeat, the black veins underneath her skin rippling in time with her pulse.

Rising to her feet, the new Delilah stared at her hands and studied the black tendrils underneath the skin, closing her eyes and feeling the new changes within herself. The rest of the room had watched the exchange in complete silence, though none had managed to successfully hide their horror and disgust, except for Tyrian who had simply watched in an almost aroused giddiness as a whole new life form was created in front of them. But evolution is never beautiful or graceful, it is _always_ horrifying.

Straightening, Delilah took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking around the room and feeling satisfaction as everyone flinched away from her stare, except for Tyrian whose eyes simply widened and a smile grew on his lips that was a similar smile that someone gives a new puppy after adopting it.

“How does it feel?” 

Salem asked quietly, a small amused smile on her face as she watched the new hybrid study its surroundings. Delilah had been called a horror before, but if anyone understood what she was now then calling her a horror would be an understatement.

The new Delilah smiled widely, before turning to her queen and bowing deeply in gratitude. “I feel...I feel it all. I can hear it talking to me. It's _perfect_ , my queen...thank you.”

“Serve well, Delilah. Create your children and perfect them. For me. For now, sit.”

Salem sank back down into her own throne gracefully as Delilah picked one of the empty chairs and lowered herself into it, just so happening to sit next to Tyrian who smiled at her widely and enthusiastically, and he bounced when she smiled back, eyeing him up and down. Meanwhile Cinder’s expression had turned sour, and then suspicious and almost _resentful_ as she regarded Delilah. Watching as each of her followers reacted to Delilah in different ways, noting the sheer degree of petty jealousy that Cinder glared at her with, Salem templed her fingers on the table in front of her and looked around at them all.

“With Beacon dealt with, it is time we turned our eyes to Haven. There is a plan in place, but now given new resources we are able to make...alterations.” Salem glanced over to where Delilah was sitting up straight and paying total attention.

Smiling widely and in excitement, Delilah nodded with determination.

“When can I begin?”

+=+=+

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends part one of our story!  
> I can't believe I wrote this entire thing in a single month. But I go back to class soon so my writing may slow down for part two. Which is going to be MUCH darker and messed up.
> 
> Good lord this was fun to write, even if the quality isn't superb, I hope you've all felt the love I put into it and that was enough to carry you through to this point! Thanks for reading!


End file.
